The President of Bougainville says the autonomous Papua New Guinea region has never been paid the funding it's been promised.
President of the autonomous Bougainville government, John Momis. Photo: RNZI
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Bougainville's first government was established in 2005 but John Momis says Port Moresby has failed to fully meet its obligations to Bougainville. both under the PNG Constitution and under the Bougainville Peace Agreement.
Mr Momis congratulated Peter O'Neill on being re-elected as PNG's prime minister but says he now has to act on the long delayed funding issue.
"We never got the full amount of what we were constitutionally guaranteed, whereas in other provinces they were getting what they were entitled to. In Bougainville they would include big amounts of money in the Budget, the national Budget, and yet we did not receive. We only got a fraction of what appeared in the Budget."
The president's comments come amid Bougainville's months' long struggle to deliver core services.
Most recently hospital dispensaries have run out of drugs and those who can have tried to source medicinal drugs from overseas.
Other hospital services are also under threat and there are reports staff are not being paid.