Autonomy for East New Britain, Independence for Bougainville: Identities and Subnational Governance in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Dynamics between Indigenous identities and government development practices play a key role in understanding provincial politics in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and are especially salient when examining efforts for political restructuring at the subnational level. In East New Britain (ENB), this aspiration is found in the quest for special autonomy, a unique constitutionally guaranteed political status that would grant the province substantial control over administrative, financial, and political affairs. In the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB), autonomy is perceived as a means to an end: independence from PNG a goal since at least the 1960s. Understanding how local groups coexist, comingle, and contest their visions for governance arrangements can shed light on why some provinces like ENB strive for greater administrative powers but opt to stay in the colonially created bounds of PNG, while the ARoB and its people are ready to move on. This In Brief is based on PhD research in ENB and the ARoB. Using relational tok stori methodology to centre Indigenous voices, it seeks to understand the meaning of Indigenous identities, their dynamics with state-led development, and how they shape political aspirations.