PAPUA, Manokwari – The latest development concerning the diplomatic struggle in West Papua is the submission of a proposal by Papua to be accepted as a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). The group will hold a conference in Noumea, New Caledonia in June 2013. This step is in accordance with the international mechanisms of the UN.   

The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) is pushing for this inclusion and it should be viewed as a progressive step, owned by the Papuan majority struggling for the enforcement of civil and political rights.

“This move by the WPNCL shouldn’t be disrupted by other efforts within the Papuan struggle, or from organisations like Presidium Dewan Papua (PDP), West Papua National Authority (WPNA), Komite Nasional Pemuda Papua (KNPP), or Negara Republik Federal Papua Barat (NRFPB), or any other political groups,” said Yan Christian Warinussy, Executive Director of LP3BH Manokwari, in a press release to suarapapua.com, Monday (27/5/2013).

“I believe the Komite Nasional Papua Barat (KNPB) clearly owns the agenda, and the outcomes, so I’m not going to comment further on this,” he stated.

In Warinussy’s opinion, this current move is significant in the Pacific region and urgently needs to be addressed and supported by the whole Papuan community.

“I say this, because such a move is in accordance with the advice given by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Auckland, New Zealand, in September 2010.  SG Ban Ki-moon said that issues facing the Papuan community, like enforcement of civil and political rights, should be brought before the Decolonisation Committee under the UN General Assembly,” he said.

Thus, it’s taken for granted that the struggle in Papua to obtain freedom by political means will be through international mechanisms recognised by the UN. Further, continues Warinussy, the move Papua is making through WPNCL with their proposal to become a member of MSG, is sound diplomatically and in line with the broader struggle to bring the issue of self-determination before the Decolonisation Committee at the UN General Assembly.

“This move can’t just be seen as an initiative of WPNCL but something that’s owned by the whole Papuan community, so that the move can be supported and considered more effectively—and not be disrupted by politicking or factionalism, which could be used to undermine this progressive move,” he finished.  As previously reported in www.tabloidjubi.com, WPNCL is currently lobbying various Pacific nations so that Papua can become a member of MSG and attend the conference this June.