MSG Leaders disappoint Melanesians: Tarimanu
Posted: Thursday, July 21, 2016 8:00 am
By Godwin Ligo George Pakoa Tarimanu
One of the founding figures of the Vanuatu Independence, George Pakoa Tarimanu, has come out publicly to express what he termed “total disappointment” over the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) outcome on the issue of United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) admission of full membership into the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).
He said the current MSG Leadership continue to turn a blind eye to the plight of the West Papuan Melanesians and their daily suffering, cry and deaths by the hands of the Indonesian military forces that the whole world is aware of but the Melanesian leaders are turning blind eyes on what he termed as the genocide, brutal killings, murders that are taking place before the global eyes.
“As one of the founding members of Vanuatu’s struggle for political independence, I find it hard to believe that the present or current MSG Leaders cannot stand up for the West Papua Melanesian brothers and sisters.
“They are weak, do not have the courage and boldness and perseverance that the founding fathers of the MSG had.
“The present leaders are clearly showing lack of vision they are supposed to stand for as Vanuatu heard from the first country’s Prime Minister, the late Father Walter Lini that Vanuatu will not be fully independent until all colonized people in the Pacific region are freed from colonial powers,” Tarimanu expressed.
He urged the MSG leaders to reconsider their decision and come out positively during the upcoming September 2016 Leaders’ Summit and grant ULMWP full admission into the MGS Group.
“The West Papua Melanesians have been struggling for political freedom for 50 years, whereas it took Vanuatu only 10 years to pull down the two super powers Britain and France with their Condominium style of ruling to grant Vanuatu her independence.
“I cannot understand why four strong Melanesian nations cannot show the world and, Indonesia itself that they do care for their Melanesian brothers and sisters to grant ULMWP full admission membership in the MSG.
“The question is why is that the MSG leaders will not do it?” asked George Pakoa Tarimanu.
“Let me give an example of how the late Father Walter Lini and the then Vanua’aku Party leaders lobbied the United Nations and the rest of the world to get their support for Vanuatu political independence.
“The late Father Walter Lini and the VP leaders at that time knew the possible consequences but he took the risks, whereas the ULMWP case is simply an admission of a Melanesian brothers into a rightful Melanesian Nakamal.
“I am calling on the MSG current leaders to take a stand on the issue and approve full membership of ULMWP into the MSG in the upcoming MSG Leaders’ Summit in Port Vila,” he urged.
The 67-year-old George Pakoa Tarimanu, was a member of the Vanuatu Constitutional drafting committee who was invited by the first Vanuatu Prime Minister the late Father Walter Lini.
He was also a member of the National Executive Council of the Vanua’aku Party that stood up for the political independence of Vanuatu, was a one-time Political Advisor in the First Prime Minister’s Office, first Ni-Vanuatu Establishment Officer in the British National Service prior to Vanuatu’s Independence, political advisor in the ministry of finance after Independence and held other political posts including the position of the public relations officer to the former late Prime Minister, Edward Natapei, from 2008 to 2010.
“I will continue to raise my voice for the political independence of Melanesians in West Papua,” he concluded.
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