By Fabian Hakalits – EM TV News, Port Moresby
Next year’s budget for the Autonomous Bougainville Government has seen cuts in the annual grants allocation.
This now raises questions of whether the national government is fully honouring the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
K216 million has been allocated for the Autonomous Bougainville Government.
The cuts, according to the national government, are because of a drop in international commodity markets and consequences of El Nino that have put significant pressure on revenue.
In capacity building, the Restoration and Development Grant is K10 million.
Other projects also see a reduction from 2015 budget like Inclusive Development in Post Conflict K2.2 million, Bougainville Programming K80.8 million and Peaceful Inclusive and Referendum K1.5 million.
The Capital Investment Special Intervention Fund is this year at K70 million.
Bougainville Governance Implementation Fund has been scrapped, Community Policing K5.8 million, DSIP K30 million, PSIP K10 million, Outstanding RDG K48 million from last year carried forward, and Governance and Implementation Fund K5.8 million.
It’s projected these funds will be sustained by ABG’s recurrent budget. Some projects under this grant will be revenue generating therefore will be self-sustaining.
Meanwhile, President Chief John Momis in an earlier interview with EMTV said he was very unhappy of the national government not fulfilling its obligations to Bougainville.
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