Bougainville President John Momis is to bulldoze through his new Mining Law without publicly releasing the Bill or allowing for a period of public consultation. New Dawn radio is reporting the new Bill will be debated in the next sitting of the House of Representatives and will be passed before December [see below].
This discrete announcement is a far cry from the media fanfare that greeted the first draft Mining Law which was [falsely] claimed to be a revolutionary ‘world first’ for the rights it gave to customary landowners when it was announced by Momis back in March. [1]
In truth that draft Mining Law was not so revolutionary as it gave all decision making power to Momis and the politicians. A storm of controversy quickly built as it was revealed the law had been written by Australian mining consultants [2] and did not contain the promised rights for customary landowners. [3] In the face of overwhelming opposition Momis and the mining industry were forced to retreat. [4]
But now they are back with a new draft Mining law – one they are keeping firmly under wraps and away from the prying eyes of the public. Learning from their mistakes, this time there is no public fanfare, no grandiose claims and no opportunity for the public to read and comment on the draft law.
One can imagine the smiles on the faces of the Rio Tinto executives as they watch Momis ditch any pretense of transparency in the rush to get Panguna reopened.