Tonsu Independence ready

Tonsu Constituency in the North of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville has declared itself ready, becoming the third Constituency in the region to have declared itself so far, under the ABG's Independence Ready Internal Program.

The Constituency made the Declaration recently at Tung village, making it the first Declaration in North Bougainville.

The first two constituencies thay have declared their independence readiness were Rau in Wakunai District and Kongara in Kieta District, both in Central Bougainville.

Tonsu Constituency and it's thirteen wards, and community government declared itself independence ready with an overall rating of 52%.

The Independence Readiness Declaration of Tonsu follows a thorough evaluation early this year on the benchmarks of good governance, rule of law, economic development, standard of living, social services, and human resource development.

Constituency Member, the Attorney General, and Justice and Independence Mission Implementation Minister, Ezekiel Masat says, the independence readiness program is a result of the Referendum votes, and not a program created out of thin air.

Minister Masat says, the independence readiness program is fundamental about and for the people's future, dismissing critics that the independence ready program is just another money-making and money-consuming initiative.

Minister Ezekiel Masat says, the independence readiness initiative is also an opportunity for communities to reflect on their development journey.

He says, it's scorecard is a critical tool, that clearly defines Constituency performance in key area of governance, economic growth, law and order, standard of living, social services and human development.

The ratings for Tonsu Constituency are as follows:

1. GOOD GOVERNANCE - 52%

2. LAW & ORDER (RULE OF LAW) - 50%

3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - 50%

4. STANDARD OF LIVING - 54%

5. SOCIAL SERVICES - 50%

6. HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT - 54%

OVERAL CONSTITUENCY RATING - 52%

With three constituencies already having declared their readiness for independence, an official program is being finalized for the remaining thirty constituencies to announce their preparedness, before an overall internal independence ready declaration to be made by the President of Bougainville, Ishmael Toroama in July this year.