1) Vanuatu’s MSG promise for West Papua
a mirror or mirage?
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1) Vanuatu’s MSG promise for West Papua a mirror or mirage?
I came across an interesting poem recently on mirrors and mirages posted by a Seth Haines on ‘tweetspeak,’ a poetry blog on the internet. It spoke about how the rising heat in the summer mornings can produce mirages or images of pools of water on hot pavements, or tar sealed roads that seem to evaporate just before you reach them.
Prime Minister Moana Carcasses and Foreign Minister Edward Natapei’s promise for West Papua to be endorsed as full member in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Noumea came like a prophecy set in stone. But it now seems more like a mirage than a mirror reflecting the fulfillment of that prophecy.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mirage as an optical illusion or effect sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of water as if in a mirror, an inverted mirror image caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density.
The communique presented the MSG Foreign Ministers Meeting as recommendations for endorsement by the Leader’s Summit clearly proves that what Natapei and his Prime Minister promised the people of Vanuatu and West Papua was nothing but pure political gesture and grandstanding.
Mirages!
Mirages!
There it was; then, there it wasn’t.
The political maneuvering by the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) foreign affairs ministers in Noumea to defer membership for West Papua ahead of the MSG Leader’s Summit comes as no surprise to many.
The political maneuvering by the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) foreign affairs ministers in Noumea to defer membership for West Papua ahead of the MSG Leader’s Summit comes as no surprise to many.
But it lays the foundation for a critical analysis on the promises made by MSG leaders, especially Prime Minister Moana Carcasses, in granting political recognition to West Papua and the right to sit at the table of decision making in Melanesia.
Critics expected Indonesia to launch a last minute sneaky campaign to derail efforts to stop at all costs, political recognition for West Papua. Because accepting West Papua at MSG level is a political recognition of West Papua as a separate state from Indonesia, which is already an observer, strongly campaigning for full membership, just to render any bid by West Papua as bureaucratic duplication. A strong presence of Melanesians working for the Indonesian government in New Caledonia is testament to this fact.
The invitation by the Indonesian President for PNG Prime Minister O’Neill to visit Jakarta at the beginning of the month, and a timely invitation by Indonesia – through the former Chairman of the MSG Commodore Bainimarama – for an MSG ministerial visit to Indonesia are no coincidence. They are tactical moves by Jakarta to impede efforts to endorse West Papua into the MSG quorum of making decisions.
The rhetoric offered by former PNG Prime Minister Somare in Noumea has been the longstanding official position of the PNG government, cultivated by him during his terms as Prime Minister. He is trying too hard to portray, promote and impose his ‘water under the bridge’ attitude with West Papua as a unified Melanesian position.
The rhetoric offered by former PNG Prime Minister Somare in Noumea has been the longstanding official position of the PNG government, cultivated by him during his terms as Prime Minister. He is trying too hard to portray, promote and impose his ‘water under the bridge’ attitude with West Papua as a unified Melanesian position.
His cheeky comments about including West Papua only as a Melanesian community – without any concern for their eventual emancipation – is a slap on the face of the real founding fathers of the MSG, Prime Ministers Paias Wingti, Ezekiel Alebua and Fr Walter Lini.
The ‘Spearhead’ in the MSG derived from the spearheads of the tribal warriors of the PNG highlands is a weapon used to protect and liberate those who are still under colonial bondage in the MSG context.
For Sir Michael Somare to tell West Papuan leaders not to bring their problems to their own family in Melanesia is unbecoming of a leader of his stature. It is an insult to the people of Melanesia across the pacific and the world known for their embracing love and care for those in need and trouble.
While Indonesia is a significant geopolitical ally and trade partner for all countries within the MSG, it is imperative that economics and security issues do not hijack the need for MSG to be the political platform upon which political independence for West Papua is negotiated.
The weakness in the MSG endorsing West Papua as a member of the political grouping are Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, as an observer, who all have full diplomatic ties and presence in their respective countries. Both Fiji and PNG have consolidated bilateral trade relations with Indonesia, a world economic player and member of the G20.
The Australia Network News quoted Prime Minister O’Neill on Friday June 14 saying, “We want to encourage further strengthening of the trade and investment opportunities between the two countries…to further develop economic opportunities along the border areas, and further strengthen the management of border issues between the two countries.”
The Prime Minister has agreed with the Indonesian government on an extradition treaty that will validate deportations of West Papuan refugees in PNG back into Indonesia. He also confirmed PNG’s policy on West Papua as an integral part of Indonesia.
Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are the main drivers of inter-regional trade under the MSG Free Trade Agreement (MSGFTA). They are also the biggest producers and exporters within the region. Total trade between the two countries was FJD23 million (Vt230,000,000) last year alone.
Indonesia knows this and exploits this advantage to try and keep a lid on the issue of independence for West Papua from surfacing or becoming a permanent presence at the regional level.
A new air service agreement negotiated by PNG and Indonesia with a route from Nadi, Honiara, Port Moresby, to Bali could be seen as a strategic long term chess move by engineers of this political decision to rope in Solomon Islands and isolate Vanuatu, whose West Papua position is not determined by politicians but by the people who vote them in.
As it stands Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and FLNKS have the majority vote to adopt West Papua, but the bargaining power of diplomacy by Fiji and PNG can easily change the outcome.
It is time our political leaders stop promising West Papua and the people of Vanuatu mirages for personal political gain. At least when Prime Minister Kilman was accused of selling out West Papuan freedom for aid, he was transparent and did not have any hidden agenda to gain from the people by making promises to West Papua he couldn’t keep.
Politicians must be honest because we are dealing with people’s dreams and aspirations.
The thing about mirrors and mirages is that they are reflective opposites. One reflects that which is real, and the other reflects that which is not.
Mirages!
The thing about mirrors and mirages is that they are reflective opposites. One reflects that which is real, and the other reflects that which is not.
Mirages!
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2) Papuan activists pleased with MSG meeting
Posted 25 June 2013, 15:41 AEST
He made the statement on his return to Vanuatu after attending the MSG meeting in New Caledonia last week.
In their final communique the Melanesian leaders supported the inalienable rights of West Papuan people to self determination
They also accepted an invitation from Indonesia for a ministerial team from the organisation to visit the province.
They accepted an application for membership from the Papuan activists, but did not approve it.
Our correspondent in Port Vila Hilaire Bule asked Mr Rumakiek for his reaction.
Presenter: Hilaire Bule
Speaker: Secretary general of the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation, Rex Rumikiek
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3) Unicef Urges Greater Government Action to Help Papuan Youths
Papuan officials have teamed up with the United Nations’ children’s agency to implement a youth policy that is the first of its kind in Indonesia.
Angela Kearney, the Unicef representative in Indonesia, told the Jakarta Globe on Monday that there needed to be more efforts to empower youths in the two provinces of Papua and West Papua, which are among the poorest and least-developed regions in the country.
She added that although Indonesia had a National Youth Law that emphasized the need to develop the capacities of young people, there were no specific youth policies or legislation at the provincial level specifically addressing the concerns of young people.
“More needs to be done to strengthen the coordination between different sectors and to ensure sufficient funding for activities,” Kearney said.
Almost half of the population in Papua and West Papua is less than 18 years old, with adolescents and youths aged 15 to 24 years old making up 20 percent.
A survey conducted last year by Unicef indicated that adolescents and young adults in both provinces experienced challenges with regard to their health, education, security and employment.
It found that a large number of children and adolescents were not in school, and warned the lack of quality education put them at risk of being unemployed.
More than 30 percent of women in both provinces are married before the age of 18.
Girls often quit school and are forced into early marriages, which expose them to the risk of early pregnancy and complications in childbirth, while Papua also has the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infections in the country.
To address these challenges, young people should be included in the decision-making processes, said Margaret Sheehan, the head of the Unicef field office covers both Papua and West Papua.
“We must involve young people directly. They have very clear ideas about what works and what they need most,” she said.
She added there was an urgent need to allow young people to exercise their rights and duties, promote learning and empowerment and build their commitment to work with officials to develop solutions.
“We hope Papua province follows suit and embarks on its own youth policy,” Sheehan said.
“Unicef stands ready to provide all support that is needed for this.”
The governor of West Papua, Abraham Octavianus Atururi acknowledged the important role that young people played in driving social, cultural and economic growth in the province.
“Young people are the leaders of tomorrow — and they are important agents for change today,” he said.
The central government has dispensed more than Rp 40 trillion ($4 billion) to the two provinces since they were granted special autonomy status in 2001.
Despite five decades of integration into Indonesia, the two provinces remain the poorest and most underdeveloped regions in the country.
Advocacy groups blame corrupt government officials as a reason for the regions’ poverty.
The Indonesia Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) said on Sunday that the West Papuan administration had allegedly committed the most corruption of public facility budgets among five of the country’s least-developed provinces.
Embezzlement of funds intended for the construction of infrastructure is rampant, with West Papua topping the list of graft-ridden provinces losing a total of Rp 86.8 billion to corruption, Fitra said.
Poverty is endemic in Tanah Papua, with 30 percent of people in resource-rich Papua and 27 percent in West Papua, which is also rich in natural gas and currently enjoying a tourism boom, living below the poverty line.
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4) PNG leader slams opposition's 'race attack'
PORT MORESBY, PNG ----Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says a racially motivated attack on him by the nation's opposition leader is disgraceful.
O'Neill on Monday responded to a weekend attack by Belden Namah in which the opposition leader accused the prime minister of not being Melanesian after he signed an extradition treaty with Indonesia.
PNG shares its only land border with the restive Indonesian province of West Papua, and many West Papuans have fled east to escape Indonesia's rule.
“I just find it absolutely disgraceful that someone who claims to be a 'leader' can resort to race-based abuse and name-calling without provocation or justification,” O'Neill said in a statement on Monday.
“His vicious and uncalled-for attack on me while trying to justify his newfound position on Indonesia and Papua is disappointing, but sadly, it is also not unexpected.
“Mr Namah's disgraceful behaviour is one reason why the opposition numbers have dropped from around 20 to five or six since he became opposition leader last August.”
O'Neill last week visited Jakarta with a large business and ministerial delegation to sign the extradition treaty, and a series of commercial and civil agreements.
Namah directed his response to the bilateral talks at Mr O'Neill personally, and said the O'Neill government would use the extradition treaty to send West Papuans fleeing Jakarta's rule back to Indonesia.
“Peter O'Neill is not a Melanesian,” Namah said.
“If he is Melanesian, he will feel the pain and the suffering of the West Papuans.”
Speaking directly to the attack, O'Neill said he was proud of the contributions his father - an Australian-born magistrate, or “Kiap” in Tok Pisin - had made to PNG.
“I am a proud Papua New Guinean,” he said.
“I am proud of the contribution my late father made to Papua New Guinea before and after Independence. I am proud of my heritage, as are my children”
He urged Namah to put up policies, adding there was no place for race-based politics in PNG.
O'Neill is already suing Namah for defamation after the latter publicly accused the prime minister of personally benefiting from government contracts.
The political falling out between O’Neill and Namah came after the 2012 national election that saw Mr O'Neill become PM and Namah head a rapidly diminishing opposition.
For a year leading up to the election, Namah was O'Neill's deputy prime minister.
Now O'Neill commands a large majority in parliament - about 95 out of 111 seats, while Namah has seen his numbers shrink from 12 to just seven.
The pair's relationship soured during the lead up to the election, with Mr Namah publicly declaring during the campaign he should be the nation's prime minister.
O'Neill last month reportedly took a page out of former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating's play-book, telling Namah in parliament he wanted to "undo [him] slowly".
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