The Ombudsman Commission rebuts all claims by the Bougainville President John Momis in the Media since Friday last week and maintains its position to protect the Constitution.
The President as one of the Founding Fathers of the Constitution should know that the Ombudsman Commission is a Guardian of the Constitution. Any anomalies, threats, noncompliance etc. will always be contested by the Ombudsman Commission in any way it sees fit – either in the form of an advisory letter, a consultation or a media release.
In this case, the Ombudsman Commission issued a letter to the Bougainville House of Representatives through the Speaker and the Clerk of the House two weeks ago (30 January 2020) before the Media Release. The Letter and the Media Statement are advisories, and have no direction or raised any issue regarding the review.
The letter and the media statement that followed after two weeks were to ensure that the process of making alterations to the Constitution under Section 219 of the Bougainville Constitution 2004 are strictly complied with.
If this process was not followed, then there is non-compliance and may become an issue.
Further, it is the Ombudsman Commission’s duty as an independent institution established directly by the Constitution, to ensure that there is compliance with the requirements under both the PNG Constitution and the Bougainville Constitution while acting as an effective system of check and balances within the democratic system of government. The Commission therefore cannot be directed by any person or group of persons let alone be threatened.