Give West Papua MSG membership: Sope
Posted on August 12, 2011 - 12:37pm | Category:

* Local News

TIV Byhompson Marango

Former Vanuatu Prime Minister who issued a challenging statement at UN Millennium Summit concerning the West Papuan’s struggle for Independence, Barak Sope, has called on Melanesian leaders to give West Papuans a place in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

The Chairman of the Melanesian Progressive Party (MPP) who is also a staunch supporter for an Independent West Papua made the call this week to Melanesian political leaders and Governments to immediately take steps to address the issue of West Papuan struggle for independence from the Indonesian Government. “The most practical and the easiest the Governments could do would be to grant the Independence Movement membership in the MSG as they did to the FLNKS,” stated Sope.

“They have already granted Indonesia Observer Status and having West Papuans in the same MSG forum will allow serious debate to resolve the conflict,” he said. According to Mr Sope, the current situation in West Papua is as serious as it can be in its almost half a century history of struggle for Independence.

“The flood gates for freedom march are wide open and so are the risks of bloodshed. Peaceful demonstrations demanding referendum on Independence are getting larger and larger and widespread.

“On the 2nd of August thousands of people took to the streets in major cities and towns defying threats by the military and police. In the Capital Jayapura alone more than 10,000 people rallied at the Provincial Peoples Assembly.

“There are also demonstrations in Jakarta and in Europe.

“Interestingly for the first time in 49 years the fully armed military and police were much more subdued. But immediately the high command in Jakarta issued a serious warning that the might of the Indonesian Armed Forces would be moved to quell any further demand for Independence.

” Mr Sope further called on the Melanesian governments to rally behind the move made on the 19th July by the UK government, declared by David Howell as a response to Senator Richard Harries’ question in the British Parliament, followed by Mrs Hillary Clinton, the US Foreign Secretary’s statement in Bali, on 24th July this year, both to support and encourage an open and constructive dialogue between the Indonesian Government and West Papuan representatives to solve their political differences.

In his view, the Melanesian States should take more responsibility and be productive to seek a peaceful solution to this conflict instead of leaving it to others, simply because West Papua is part of Melanesia.

Mr Sope has again reminded Melanesia of the famous statement made by Solomon Mamaloni, former Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands when he received visiting OPM leaders in 1996. “Your struggle is our struggle, and if our generation does not do anything about it we would forever stand to be condemned by the future generations.”