The indigenous struggle for liberation in West Papua on the western half of the island of New Guinea in the south-west Pacific, with the loss of thousands of lives, is far from ending. But, despite political uncertainties, a united coalition of pro-independence leaders has reignited hope of freedom by galvanising the support of a Pacific Islands inter-governmental organisation.
Indigenous Melanesian resistance to Indonesian governance of
West Papua dates back to a United Nations supervised Act of Free Choice on
independence in 1969 that was criticised as fraudulent after less than one
percent of the population was selected to vote. That resulted in a vote for
Indonesian integration.
In April this year the West Papua National Coalition for
Liberation (WPNCL), representing 29 pro-independence organisations, applied for
membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). The inter-governmental
group comprises the Melanesian states of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon
Islands, Vanuatu and the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) of
New Caledonia with headquarters in Port Vila, Vanuatu.[pullquote]3[/pullquote]
“Support within the Melanesian region is vital to building a
strong foundation for gaining international support and recognition,” Dr John
Ondawame, WPNCL’s Vice-Chairman in Vanuatu told IPS. “The struggle of the
people of West Papua is no longer an internal Indonesian issue.”
The West Papuan coalition was, for the first time, invited
as official guest to the Melanesian leaders’ summit held in Noumea, New
Caledonia, in June. Indonesia, which has MSG observer status, was also present.
During an address to the summit, Ondawame called on the
Melanesian group to support the re-inscription of West Papua onto the United
Nations decolonisation list and send a fact-finding mission to the Indonesian
provinces to investigate human rights abuses.
The meeting ended with Melanesian leaders endorsing the
“inalienable rights of the people of West Papua towards self-determination” and
efforts to raise concerns about atrocities with the Indonesian government.
It was announced that a foreign ministers’ visit to the
Indonesian provinces would take place within six months ahead of a decision on
West Papua’s membership of the MSG. But, although Indonesia invited Melanesian
leaders to Jakarta to be briefed about developments in West Papua, an MSG-led
visit to the disputed territories has not taken place.
An MSG Secretariat spokesperson in Vanuatu advised IPS that
“dates for the mission to Indonesia are still being discussed,” and members are
keen for it to occur in early 2014.
Ondawame added that “so far Jakarta has not provided any
invitation letter for the team to visit the respective territories.”
Indonesia has long claimed that West Papua is an internal matter,
but the suffering of its indigenous population is stirring growing solidarity
amongst Melanesians in the Pacific Islands.
In 2001, the Indonesian government responded to grievances
by granting special autonomy to the provinces of Papua and West Papua, and
increasing funding to the region, which amounted to more than 190 million
dollars last year. It recently appointed a government unit to address
infrastructure, public service and social issues.
However, West Papuans still suffer severe socio-economic
hardship and have few freedoms. Twenty-seven percent of people in Papua and 31
percent in West Papua live in poverty, compared to 13 percent in East Java and
3.7 percent in Jakarta.
The Indonesian military controls civilian life and is
regularly accused of killings, brutality, corruption and involvement in drug
smuggling and illegal logging activities. Last year Amnesty International
reported that 90 political activists were imprisoned for peaceful political
activities and “security forces faced persistent allegations of human rights
violations, including torture.”
“West Papua’s struggle for independence is not just West
Papua’s struggle, but Melanesia’s struggle, and the people of Melanesia must
take ownership,” said Fred Mambrasar of the civil society group, Melanesian
United Front in Papua New Guinea.
Up to 500,000 West Papuan lives were lost in the past 50
years due to Indonesian military and government policies in the territory,
according to a University of Sydney report.
During the past six months public demonstrations in support
of West Papua have increased across the region. A concerned group of indigenous
people from Australia and West Papua sailed to West Papua in September in a
Freedom Flotilla that was a symbolic voyage to the shores of the Indonesian
province to highlight issues of freedom and justice.
In Papua New Guinea, the Melanesian United Front launched a
campaign and petition to boost public pressure, and urban demonstrations were
supported by Port Moresby’s Governor, Powes Parkop. A letter of international
solidarity signed by 98 international and Pacific non-governmental
organisations was sent to the MSG in October.
Politically West Papuans see hope in the MSG’s promotion of
decolonisation elsewhere in the region, such as in East Timor, New Caledonia
and French Polynesia, and the resolute support of Vanuatu’s leadership in
recent years.
In September, Moana Carcasses, Vanuatu’s Prime Minister,
called on the United Nations General Assembly to “rectify some historical
errors” and appoint a special representative to investigate human rights abuses
and political issues in the beleaguered territory.
But the Melanesian United Front’s Patrick Kaiku is concerned
that “observer states, such as Indonesia, which wield significant diplomatic resources
and experience, will dictate the terms of West Papuan membership in the MSG if
they are allowed to exert their influence.”
“The independence of the MSG must be maintained,” he
asserted.
Papua New Guinea, an influential Melanesian state with
observer status at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has
substantial trade ties with Indonesia, and also security concerns about its
shared land border. In June its leaders accepted an invitation to business
talks in Jakarta instead of attending the MSG Leaders summit. Solomon Islands
leaders were briefed separately by the Indonesian government on developments in
West Papua during a bilateral visit in August.
However,
Ondawame is confident his coalition has “won the diplomatic battle in the
region” and that an unstoppable political momentum has begun. He remains
adamant that the MSG holds the key to progressing political dialogue and
addressing a human rights crisis that many believe has been met with silence
from the international community for too long. Sunday, Independent European
Daily Press
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