n - Eureka Street

order and to curb kleptocrats. There are reasons for this, butcritics of PNG often seem to know more about that countrythan they know of their own. It was always ironic instructingPNG students about 'conflict of interest' when many Australianpremiers had little awareness of it.While identities like Singirok hold out for a political ratherthan a military solution to the Bougainville tragedy, there areothers with faith and heroism toiling away in villages to bringabout 'restorative justice'.Brother Patrick Howley's Peace Foundation Melanesia(formerly, Foundation for Law, Order and Justice) issues amonthly newsletter which is the best record of what ishappening on the ground in Bougainville today. The PFM's logois inscribed 'Peace and Community Empowerment'. BrotherHowley relinquished a distinguished teaching career bothwithin Marist schools and as principal of one of the four nationalupper secondary high schools, to focus on the art of conflictresolution. He has a group of instructors working throughoutthe province.What is surprising is the amount of constructive work beingdone. Obviously most people are sick of war and want peace.This includes even some combatants from among both the BougainvilleRevolutionary Army (BRA) and the pro-governmentResistance. In the North-West of the main island recently, some200 BRA surrendered and handed in their weapons in spite ofthe risk involved, and were seen in Buka town for the first timein years. Along with such hopeful signs, however, are nowanarchic alliances forming when BRA squads fragment. TheyCOMMENT: 2MICHAEL M c GIRR SJcomprise young 'rambos' who were seven or eight when warbegan and are now carrying weapons. They are uneducated-in1988, 90 per cent of Bougainville children were in school-andsusceptible to violent cultism.In the Bana area (population 24,000) on the fringe of theBRA redoubt in central Bougainville, five community schoolsnow cater for most school-age children after having had allschools closed during 1990-96. Adult literacy classes try to copewith those who missed out. Courses in spiritual rehabilitationand reconciliation have been effective, if slow. Brother Howleywrites that 'many people believe the road to peace is for eachvillage to make its own peace, then peace with its neighbours,then with the areas further away until the units are able to joinup into districts'. Bana is moving in this direction. Slow,certainly, but better than being blown away by m ercenary fuelairbombs. Similar community resources are being mobilisedelsewhere with sporadic progress.Bougainville is not yet a black hole. Singirok's decisive andwell-timed action has averted a major disaster, and there i aresourceful quest for peace at village level. The military hasshown it too wants a political solution. It is up to Port Moresbyto provide a framework for this, and that means compromiseover the status of the province.•James Griffin is professor emeritus at the University of PapuaNew Guinea.Brother Howley's work can be encouraged at PO Box 4205,Boroko, N.C.D., Papua New Guinea.Roo QuANTOCK " AM