Foreign Ministers of the Melanesian Spearhead Group are set to tip-toe through a diplomatic minefield with news that a MSG delegation – led by Fiji’s Ratu Inoke Kubuabola – will make its long-awaited visit to the Indonesian province of West Papua this week. The mission is fraught with potential difficulty and will require all the diplomatic skills the Ministers can muster as they walk a tightrope between the intense sensitivity of their Indonesian hosts and the equally intense expectations of their Melanesian brothers and sisters in West Papua.
Ratu Inoke is famed for his own political dexterity – a man who has been able to weather successive upheavals in Fijian politics and still be at the centre of decision-making. So arguably no one is better placed to lead this delegation to West Papua and bring it back without fracturing relationships on either side. The stakes are high and the pitfalls perilous. It will be one of the toughest assignments Ratu Inoke has ever undertaken, arguably more so than his patient to-ing and fro-ing with the recalcitrant Australians and New Zealanders on behalf of the Bainimarama Government. Yet, once again, Fiji has a unique opportunity to demonstrate leadership, judgment and wisdom, not only in our own foreign policy but on behalf of all Melanesians, including the people of West Papua. So our best wishes go with him as he tackles one of the biggest challenges of his diplomatic career.
Put simply, the indigenous people of West Papua regard themselves – quite rightly – as being as Melanesian as their kin across the border in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji – the existing members of the MSG. Yet they now find themselves outnumbered in their own country by the Javanese and other Indonesian ethnic groups that have flooded into West Papua since what was then a Dutch colony was invaded and annexed by Indonesia in 1961. That invasion took place in highly controversial circumstances and amid an international outcry. It was eventually agreed that the United Nations oversee a plebiscite of the people of West Papua to finally decide their future. They were given two choices – to remain part of Indonesia or to become an independent nation. But while this vote was officially described as “An Act of Free Choice”, it was conducted not by a poll of the entire population but of about 1,000 men selected by the Indonesian military. This group – described at the time as a consensus of elders – was allegedly coerced into unanimously voting to remain part of Indonesia. And ever since, the result has been rejected by Papuan nationalists, who established what they called the Free Papua Movement (OPM). The OPM ran a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Indonesian administration over the years in which many thousands of people were killed on both sides. And while this has since tapered off, the independence movement has continued, mainly through peaceful protest and a campaign of international lobbying.
The main pro-independence group now is the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation ( WPNCL) – an umbrella group of several bodies – with a leadership largely outside the country – in Vanuatu, the United States and Europe. This group has now made a formal application to join the MSG and in doing so, has given the regional grouping a massive headache. It can’t really say no altogether because it has already admitted the FLNKS, which is not a Melanesian country but the pro-independence movement in New Caledonia, once a French territory and still part of the French Republic, though with a degree of internal autonomy as a “Special Collectivity” of France. The people of New Caledonia are due to be given a vote on full independence from France sometime between now and 2018. But the people of West Papua are in a completely different situation.
Indonesia regards West Papua as one of its provinces and an integral part of the nation, as integral as Java, Sumatra or anywhere else. It says it will never countenance independence and fights the notion at every turn, regarding it as a threat to national sovereignty. Part of its sensitivity lies in the humiliating manner in which it was forced to surrender East Timor, which it invaded and took from the Portuguese in 1975, but lost in 1999 after a bloody guerrilla war and a similar United Nations vote, though one carried out properly. In the interim, Indonesia has evolved from a military dictatorship into a robust democracy. Yet the Indonesian military still sees itself as the ultimate guardian of the country’s territorial integrity and cracks down hard on any expression of dissidence or revolt over its hold on West Papua.
For Fiji and the other MSG countries, negotiating a way through this minefield is naturally going to be extremely challenging. Philosophically, they cannot exclude a substantial Melanesian population whose representatives want to join the organisation. But neither can they – nor do they want to -upset or damage the relationship of the MSG countries with Indonesia. That relationship ranges from excellent – in the case of Fiji – to somewhat strained, in the case of Vanuatu, which has close ties to the West Papuan leaders in exile, provides them with a base and has strongly argued their case in global forums such as the United Nations. So in essence, the door has to be kept open to both the Indonesian leadership in Jakarta and the leaders of the West Papuan independence movement, a considerable challenge that now rests at the feet of the MSG Foreign Ministers and Ratu Inoke Kubuabola in particular.
At the MSG summit meeting in Noumea last June, the MSG leaders decided to send a delegation led by Ratu Inoke to Indonesia for talks on the membership application by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation. It’s taken more than six months of delicate negotiations to organise but finally, Jakarta issued a formal invitation for the mission to proceed. On Tuesday (Jan 11th), Ratu Inoke will begin sitting down in the Indonesian capital flanked by the Foreign Ministers of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, a Special Envoy from Vanuatu and a senior representative of the FLNKS, which is the current chair of the MSG. In a clear sign of how seriously the Indonesians are taking the mission, across the table from them will be the senior leadership – including the President of the Republic, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa.
The tenor of these meetings will be crucial. Neither side wants a showdown over West Papua and both will be working hard to ensure a successful outcome. But it is a challenging prospect indeed to expect the Indonesians to accept West Papua joining the MSG, except as part of the Indonesian Republic, which currently has observer status at the MSG. Can a formula be hammered out for the Province to join as a full member, just as the Kanaks of New Caledonia have full membership but France doesn’t? Would the pro-independence exiles accept this? Can they be brought into the tent to both the satisfaction of Indonesia, themselves and the MSG? These are all imponderables at the present time yet must logically be in the mix if a successful outcome is to be achieved.
After these talks will come the most sensitive part of the visit, when Ratu Inoke and the other Foreign Ministers travel from Jakarta to West Papua itself. Their official program for the two day visit hasn’t been officially released. Yet there’s no doubt that the pro-independence lobby sees the visit as a golden opportunity to press its case. A senior West Papuan activist, Octovianus Mote, was recently in Fiji lobbying on behalf of the WPNCL. He said the Movement was “thrilled” that the MSG Foreign Ministers would be coming to the Province and pledged that thousands of Melanesians would turn out to line the road from the airport to welcome them. Just how the Indonesian security forces will respond remains to be seen. But the record shows that they give short shrift to any public manifestation of Melanesian nationalism and especially the raising of the Free West Papuan flag. Octovianus Mote said this would definitely happen at some stage during the visit. The MSG Foreign Ministers will be dearly hoping for restraint on both sides.
In his official announcement of the visit, Ratu Inoke appeared to play down the prospects of any dramatic outcome, stressing cooperation with the Indonesian Government and ruling out any prospect of supporting independence for the Province.“We are happy to undertake this important visit at the invitation of the Indonesian Government to be able to assess the application by WPNCL to become a member of the MSG to enable us to present a recommendation to our Leaders,” Ratu Inoke said. “ (But) we fully respect Indonesia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and we further recognise that West Papua is an integral part of Indonesia. The visit will provide the opportunity to learn firsthand about the situation in West Papua and understand the aspirations of our fellow Melanesian brothers and sisters in Papua with regards to their representation by WPNCL to become a member of the MSG.”
So a softly, softly, vaka malua, approach to this most sensitive of issues – the Foreign Minister and his MSG colleagues desperately hoping their visit passes off without incident and that the whole conundrum can eventually be resolved through patient negotiation and dialogue. From where Fiji sits, it is certainly not the time for rash provocations on the part of the separatist movement, nor a heavy handed, repressive response on the part of the Indonesian security forces. The leitmotif of Fiji’s foreign policy under the Bainimarama Government is to be “friends to all” and that includes both Indonesia and our Melanesian neighbours. Ratu Inoke will certainly be approaching his mission in that spirit and the whole nation will be hoping that he can succeed.
Indeed a very delicate mission our Inoke has taken on. We clearly need the financial support that Indonesia is given to our PM, we also need Indonesia as an ally in our struggle with neo-colonial Australia and New Zealand. The long awaited thaw in relationship with the Abbot regime is not forthcoming, as Graham correctly states recalcitrant politicians still dominate the scene in Canberra and Wellington. On the other hand, there are our Melanesian brothers, clearly suppressed by the Indonesians and there are the Kanaks in New Caledonia who suffer from oppression by French colonialists. But it is often that in such complex constellations true leadership can shine. Our PM as the leader of the MSG will be tested and he will succeed to balance financial benefits for him and his government and solidarity with our oppressed brothers. His superior intelligence, diplomatic skills and selfless vision will allow him to establish Fiji as the leading nation in the Pacific. His model revolution will be exported to West Papua and New Caledonia where corrupt and racist politicians trample the human rights of the majority. It is even conceivable that under his leadership MSG will transform into a kind of European Union, a regional body where democratic nations enjoy free movement, a single currency and a booming economy.
You are absolutely right Peter, our PM has all the qualities to make him a perfect leader of the entire Pacific region. His model of a guarded and corruption free democracy could do a lot of good in places like Solomons, PNG and Vanuatu where corrupt politicians have fleeced their populations for too long. Lets us all rally behind our great leaders and take back the Pacific from the suffocating grip of corrupt politicians and colonial exploiters.
Which ever move Voreqe makes on this issue the fact is Australia & Nz & Usa have hardly mentioned whats happening to the West Papuans & their treatment by Indonesian Forces. This no different to when Indonesia grabbed East Timor & the murder of innocent Timorese took place- complete and utter silence from Australia. WHY? Australia realised there was money to be made from exploiting the Timorese people- so they let the Indonesians do their thing and when the Indonesians finally had to leave who stepped in to play BIG Brother & Liberators-you guessed it right AUSTRALIA! They brought in their troops and ran the mission of salvation for the East Timor what they didn’t mention was they had already sold out the Timorese people with Indonesia. On an aeroplane the 2 Foreign Minister of Australia & Indonesia had carved up the Timor sea which they both knew had an abundance of oil & gas. Later good old Australia carved up a bigger portion from East Timor- which only now the Timor People are waking up to! So when you now hear of the eaves dropping by Australia on the East Timor delegation you can really tell who your true friends are. Its the reason you see the Timorese Leaders calling Fiji their real friends. Voreqe doesn’t have to say much on the issue if anyone should be talking its the mob from Port Morsby its their brothers who are fighting for their survival before the Indonesian & Americans rip out all the wealth from Papua.
It has also come to light that Australia had bugged the ET offices of the ministers and listened to all conversation re: oil and gas deals thus having an upper hand in the whole process. The bugging was done by the so called NGOs under the garb of helping ET people (this is where Fiji has to be very careful of the NGO’s being propping up in Fiji). A couple of months back the security agents raided the lawyers office and seized important documents relating to the case being put by ET in the international courts.Yesterday was the first day of the hearing.
Yes I agree with you that once the “local” militias with the support of the Indonesian military have butchered the locals and left, only then the Australian Army got “engaged” and started taking credit for “driving away” the militias.
Phew. Glad to see Kububuola is back from Indonesia all safe and sound.
It seems there was no tip-toeing through the diplomatic minefield of West Papua. Simply the MSG delegation led by Fiji’s Ratu Inoke Kubuabola took the money and ran away from West Papuan minefield as fast as possible.
Without a thought to his Melanesian brothers he signed a document saying “they supported respective sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs”
In real terms that simple statement gives the Indonesian government carte blanche to use whatever force they want to put down Melanesian Nationalists in West Papua.
Exactly what one would expect from a dictator’s errand boy.
Click on the link below to see some examples of Indonesian atrocities in West Papua. All condoned by our foreign minister.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pngwestpapuawantok/
Have heard on the grapevine that Rimbink Pato is going to change his name to Judas Iscariot!
It is much more lucrative for Fiji to do business with China instead of trusting the shapeshifting Australians. China has a clear and consistent policy of non intervention into internal affairs and wants to do fair business with everyone. China at the same time is a very generous donor helping developing nations such as ours to get off the ground. The Australians only want our resources and will leave a waste land behind. Anybody who has seen the rape and pillage of Nauru will know what I mean.
Unfortunately the MSG countries are allowing an “observer member” Indonesia, to dictate the terms. After several delays, the green light for this visit happened at 11.55am last Friday expecting all the MSG Foreign Ministers to jump the next day and come to Jakarta. Indonesia is framing this visit not as a fact-finding mission to West Papua as was originally understood, but to “strengthen economic ties and development assistance”. They will be expected to sign a memorandum in Jakarta that is similar to the Lombok Treaty which they got Australia to sign. Vanuatu has on principle pulled out from this mission, allowing the other Melanesian states to be played by Indonesia. Not the finest moment for the MSG, and Fiji is now causing a real divide in the MSG by pushing Indonesia’s agenda….
Ben, I defer to your expert knowledge on this subject but I think it’s a real shame that Vanuatu has chosen to pull out of this mission, which will go ahead anyway and from which its counsel will now be excluded. I notice the Free Papuans in Oxford are now accusing Voreqe Bainimarama of being “sickeningly corrupt” for “meeting murderers” and accepting any assistance from Indonesia. This is after having once lauded him for understanding their position and treating their representatives with the respect normally afforded to sovereign governments. This sort of highly personalised attack isn’t going to help either, though there’s obviously an appreciation in Suva about the emotional nature of all of this on the West Papuan side. I don’t agree with you that Fiji is “pushing Indonesia’s agenda”. It wants to deal within the realms of the possible and try to get some form of representation for the people of West Papua within the MSG. But I don’t see how the “independence or nothing” agenda of some West Papuan activists is going to achieve anything other than to push the Indonesians into a corner. We need continuing dialogue on this and you don’t get dialogue by refusing to attend the talks. To have the MSG split on this issue reduces the chance of a satisfactory outcome. Surely when any party tries to employ a tactic of divide and rule, the sensible thing is to stick together and patiently stare it down, not offer that division up on a plate. Sadly, I suspect that this outcome is precisely what Jakarta would have wanted.
HI Graham, thanks, appreciate your thoughts even if I disagree on this one. Rightly or wrongly, Fiji appears to be doing Indonesia’s bidding here for its own national interest, not the regional interest. It would be nice to think Fiji has something up its sleeve but we have to take events as they appear, and it appears the West Papuans will be again abandoned. Last time it was by PNG, this time by Fiji. Autonomy for West Papua might well have been the best option, but Indonesia has never given it and has no intention to do so, despite it being officially introduced in 2003. The screws have only tightened further since then. The ones in the corner are not Jakarta, but the West Papuans who rightly understand that they are facing genocide. Indonesia has no interest in meaningful talks – the only thing that would bring them to the table would be if the Melanesian nations united among themselves to include membership for West Papua. Once they have a place at the table they have bargaining power and then real talks begin and perhaps the violence can stop.
If Fiji had endorsed the broad regional support for WP at the MSG summit in Noumea then there would have been strength in numbers. Instead it introduced a proposal by Jakarta to defer a decision until after a fact-finding mission to WP. How easily now Jakarta can turn a “fact-finding” mission into delaying tactics and turn it around to a situation where some of the MSG countries endorse Indonesian rule there. At least Vanuatu took a stand to show Jakarta that not every country can be seduced, and to preserve some integrity to values of the MSG which include the right to self determination. Who knows? Maybe there’s a good cop / bad cop thing going on behind the scenes! Let’s see how this dance of Javanese and Melanesian diplomacy plays out, but you can be sure that everything about this trip is to serve Indonesian interests, not Melanesia.
Ben, Indonesia invariably puts it national interest first and so does everyone else – PNG and Fiji included. The Bainimarama Government naturally values the relationship with Jakarta. The Indonesians were prepared to assist it when the Aussies and Kiwis gave them the cold shoulder and they have an excellent relationship, both bilaterally and at the UN through the G77 and in the Non Aligned Movement. The Fijian Government also sympathises with the West Papuan people and wants to bring them into the MSG fold, which is why Bainimarama made a special effort to meet their exiled leaders and treat them with appropriate deference. But I don’t think it’s unreasonable for Fiji to adopt the position that it must deal with the realpolitik of the situation. Giving West Papua a place at the MSG table isn’t going to happen by recognising the exiled leadership and giving them the chair. That will only inflame the situation. It will happen by persuading the Indonesians that wider relationships in the region would be better served by Indonesia helping to forge some form of broad representation for the West Papuan people generally, inside and outside the Province. That obviously requires Indonesian cooperation and input. If they won’t cooperate at all, then this becomes a continuing irritant and a barrier to closer relations. If they do, then maybe something can be worked out. But unlike Vanuatu, Fiji isn’t going to go to the barricades on this, in other words, tell Jakarta “you give us what we want or else”. It’s also acutely aware that there are divisions among the West Papuans themselves – between those within the Indonesian camp and those outside – and within the independence movement itself. There’s certainly irritation in official circles in Suva at the public criticism of Bainimarama and Ratu Inoke by certain pro-independence leaders. In the case of Bainimarama, one minute they praise him as their best hope, the next they’re branding him as corrupt for accepting Indonesian aid. But that hasn’t eroded a genuine desire on the part of the Fijian Government to bring the people of West Papua into the MSG fold. A formula has to be found but common sense dictates that it can’t be done without Indonesia’s cooperation and assistance. Just as the MSG needed the cooperation of France to give voice to the Melanesians of New Caledonia. Yes, the record of Indonesia in West Papua has been appalling. But the realpolitik for Indonesia is that the credibility of its new democracy rest on giving all its people a voice, including the West Papuans. In this case, might cannot be defeated by might because there isn’t any on the Melanesian side. But maybe, albeit over time, it can be defeated by logic and common sense.
press release from KNPB:The MSG has failed in its mandate to monitor the situation in West Papua.
KNPB Press Release.
We can say in all honesty that the mission of the MSG delegation led by Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Foreign Minister of Fiji, failed in its mandate as a monitoring and fact-finding mission into the conditions surrounding the human rights violations and the will and desire of the People of West Papua, as was stated in the final communique of the MSG Summit in Noumea, Kanaky, in June 2013.
The West Papuan People have expressed their deep disillusionment with the position taken by the Governments of Fiji and PNG which seem to have decided to ignore the suffering of the people of West Papua; they were also very disappointed by the draft communique of the MSG which aimed mainly at enhancing economic cooperation with their colonial ruler, Indonesia.
The visit by our brothers and sisters of the MSG was a secret visit; for us, that is the only way this visit can be characterized, as the schedule was kept secret and the meetings themselves were held in secret. And this has hurt us profoundly in our ethics of brotherhood and our Melanesian cultural values which dictate that such a visit should have been open, and we should have been given the opportunity to greet the delegates when they arrived, with Melanesian cultural dances for which the people had prepared.
Therefore, we consider that the delegation only succeeded in meeting with representatives of the Indonesian colonial power present in the Parliament, the Governor and the leadership of the army/police, all of which are invaders of our land, the land of the people of West Papua. They did not succeed in meeting with the people of West Papua who had anticipated their arrival with great excitement: all their welcoming ceremonies were brutally disbanded by the army /police forces and 46 people were arrested.
The People of West Papua want West Papua to be accepted as a permanent member of the MSG through the application submitted by the West Papua National Committee (WPNCL). We hope that by becoming a member, West Papua can contribute in building and maintaining the Melanesian brotherhood in accordance with the spirit of the founders of the MSG.
Jayapura, 14 January 14, 2014
The Board of KNPB
Victor Yeimo, Chairman
Ones Suhun, Secretary
Ben, this is very disappointing but hardly surprising. Indonesia is doing what it’s always done in the face of overt protest in Jayapura – crushed it. Let’s hope the Jakarta Post is correct in saying that all but one of the demonstrators were released immediately afterwards. Fiji, for one, was hoping for restraint and I guess you can cast this as restraint, given the sorry history of West Papua, where killings have taken place at previous demonstrations. Let’s see what comes out of the visit as a whole, including the meeting today with President Yudhoyono. But Fiji and PNG are looking to persuade the Indonesians that it’s in their best interests to allow the West Papuans not only access to the MSG but more internal autonomy. And they’re not going to achieve that by playing hard ball or, in the case of the Ni Vanuatu, taking their bat and ball home. The current realpolitik is that independence is out of the question, a conclusion that the Fijians and Papua New Guineans share with the Australians and others. Now the pro-independence forces can rail all they like but that is the situation and I think it’s in their best interests to keep encouraging Fiji and PNG to engage with the Indonesians in the way that they are, rather than accuse them of a sell-out. It’s pretty clear that the best hope for West Papua to be truly free is for Indonesian democracy to evolve to the point where the principle of a stitch-up in the 1960s is widely accepted within Indonesia itself and the need to right the wrong is embraced. What’s the alternative? Unlike the East Timorese, the West Papuans haven’t been able to dislodge the Indonesians by force and Jakarta has been so obsessed with its territorial integrity that it’s immune to international “pressure”. The pro-independence lobby seems to want Ratu Inoke and his fellow ministers to storm back crying “stitch-up” and pit the MSG up against Indonesia in a brawl over West Papua. It isn’t going to happen. Why? Because while it might give some activists a warm inner glow, it’s damaging to the wider relationship and pointless in that history tells us it won’t work. If Australia, with all its superior diplomatic muscle, has reached the same conclusion, one can hardly blame Fiji and PNG for doing the same. Melanesian solidarity is important but so is avoiding a nihilistic approach to regional relationships and especially with its biggest democracy, however fledgling it might currently be.
Graham, why take part in an exercise that will do nothing but give in cravenly to Indonesian interests, there is no argument that what Fiji and PNG are doing “helps” the West Papuans, or Melanesian interests in any way. The Papuans are vulnerable and powerless and were hoping that at least the MSG nations might put pressure on Indonesia to stop its ongoing brutality and introduce real autonomy. Instead the delegation is not even addressing the core reason for the visit – a fact-finding mission to West Papua to speak openly with civil society and see if the WPNCL is their best representative. Instead the delegation has no contact with Papuans, spends half a day there shielded by the military and then goes to Jakarta to be given more sugar. Leave aside the arguments for and against independence and look at this from a purely diplomatic perspective: is it appropriate that nations are given only 24 hours to scramble and send their envoys at Jakarta’s whim and timetable? That the original mission is changed from a fact finding mission to one of pledging support for Indonesia and given more “development assistance?” This is not what the mission was supposed to be about and therefore contravenes the decision made at the MSG summit. The Papuans are only looking for a bit of leverage against the juggarnaut of Indonesia to get a better deal, but this MSG visit just throws them to the wolves again. As for Vanuatu’s stand, keep in mind that since independence Vanuatu has always supported Pacific liberation groups in East Timor, West Papua, Kanaky and Tahiti, so it is entirely appropriate for Vanuatu to object to the way this mission has unfolded and take a stand. I can tell you that there is some disquiet at the MSG Secretariat at how this has played out too…
Fiji has rarely shown concern for other Pacific peoples struggling, it has purely pragmatic politics for Fiji to look after itself. Like many others I completely understand Fiji’s “look north” policy away from Canberra, but in this instance to “look north” to Indonesia when it is daily killing fellow Melanesians with impunity and allowing jihadis to base themselves in a province completely off limits to foreign media and NGOs is pretty strange. There is much respect in the region for what Frank is trying to achieve at home, but this mission will damage Fiji’s reputation on this important regional issue. When it is announced last week, ahead of the delegation’s visit, that Indonesia will help fund Fiji’s election AND fund a MSG police academy in Suva, people in the region logically draw the dots and see self-interest at play. It is understandable that PNG has been shy for a long time due to its sharing a common border, but even Somare finally came out in Noumea to support the Papuans. Does Fiji really need money/support from Indonesia? Once again I appreciate your thoughts Graham on this sensitive issue and as you know I am broadly sympathetic to the Fiji govt, but in this instance I am reflecting the thoughts of many in the region who can only see this mission as a disreputable one that might be good for Fiji and Indonesia, but no-one else. Let’s hope something good comes out if it after all. All the best mate.
Have to concede, Ben, that it doesn’t seem to have ended well. But I think it’s a bit rough to say that Fiji has rarely shown concern for other Pacific peoples. What about all its civilian volunteers in neighbouring countries, including Vanuatu? What you call pragmatism can also be cast as dealing with the reality of the situation. No-one is excusing the invasion of West Papua in 1961. But we have to deal with the reality on the ground 53 years later. So much time has passed that many Melanesians are part of the Indonesian hierarchy. Fiji wants this resolved but all the will in the world is not going to shift the Indonesians from their insistence that independence will never be granted. And if both sides in Australian politics accept that, what good is it for Fiji to sever its ties with Jakarta just for a warm inner glow? Of course there’s disquiet about the situation. But I repeat: the best way to deal with this is to encourage the Indonesians that the perception of their democracy internationally will be burnished by granting the West Papuans more self determination within the Indonesian Republic. And that includes representation at the MSG. The notion that the MSG admits only the exiled separatist leadership as some kind of Government in Exile isn’t going to happen. It may have traction in Vanuatu but almost nowhere else. Sad for those- including me, incidentally- who believe that an injustice was done. But that’s the grim reality.
Fantastic conversation you two. It all needs to be said just a shame that the West Papuans are pawns in the bigger game. All said and done, I’m with Ben.
Yes, Jane, I’m with Ben on a personal level too. It’s just that realpolitik has snookered my own natural desire to tilt at windmills. While individuals can enjoy the luxury of passionate advocacy, governments have to deal within the parameters of the possible. And dislodging Indonesian rule in West Papua is currently outside those parameters, as anyone in Canberra, Wellington or any number of regional capitals will also tell you. So the wisdom of Suva breaking ranks – as Ben is advocating – isn’t immediately obvious to those who have to make these decisions. The British ran Fiji at the time of the so-called Act of Free Choice in West Papua so no Fijian carries a moral responsibility for the West Papuans being dispossessed. The fact is that the big players in the region allowed that sham to be perpetrated, along with the rest of the international community. So in Fijian eyes, it’s a bit rough to now be in the firing line, accused by Ben and others of somehow perpetuating that dispossession. Why should Fiji fling itself at windmills when others wouldn’t then and – more pertinently – refuse to do so now? Rather than shake a figurative fist at Jakarta and achieve nothing, Fiji has chosen patient engagement with both parties in West Papua to try to move the self determination agenda forward and obtain some form of representation at the MSG. And to me, that’s seems a perfectly sensible option under the circumstances.
Fiji has rarely shown concern for other Pacific peoles?
Get real Ben!
Fijian soldiers helped liberate Samoa from German occupation in 1914.
Fijian soldiers died defending the Solomons islands during WW2 with a Fijian soldier winning a VC in that campaign.
Fijian soldiers also served in stabilising the situation on Bougainville in the two peace missions on Bouganville in the 1990’s.
Fiji accomodated Banaban islanders on Rabi Island when their island was ravaged by the British Phosphate Commission.
Fiji also accommodated displaced Tuvalu Islanders on the island of Kioa after WW2
Fiji has also said it will turn a blind eye to Kiribati as it searches for an alternative home as a result of climate change. Fiji has also allowed Kiribati to purchase more than 6,000 acres of land on Vanua Levu for food security purpose.
Mate, the list goes on.
Has any other Pacific Island nation done the same? Can they match Fiji’s contributions here?
Talk is cheap Ben
Correction: Fiji will not turn a blind eye to Kiribati etc
Fiji has always punched way way above its weight-compared to Australia , NZ & P & G- in the sphere of war , peace keeping or helping out other countries. How many acres of land has either NZ or Australia has given to issue that now confront the people of Kiribati?
What we see playing out in the West Papua issue is political opportunism, nothing more nothing less. Why would the Bainimarama regime care about West Papuans when it has nothing material to gain from supporting a suppressed indigenous population. Firstly, it does the same thing at home by marginalising the Taukies and secondly, Jakarta has the ships of gold that Bainimarama so desperately needs.
For those following this debate, here’s the latest from Radio New Zealand:
New MSG meeting on West Papua scheduled
Updated at 9:44 pm on 21 January 2014
The director general of the Melanesian Spearhead Group has confirmed a special Leaders meeting will be held in Vanuatu next month.
Peter Forau says the agenda is still being consulted on but it will address issues of importance to MSG cooperation, notably the West Papua issue.
The MSG Chairperson Victor Tutugoro, who is also spokesperson of New Caledonia’s indigenous FLNKS movement, is calling for the meeting, just days after a controversial MSG mission to Indonesia and Papua.
Foreign ministers from Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Solomon Islands took part in a delegation last week, which was meant to learn more about the bid by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation to become a member of the MSG.
Vanuatu’s foreign minister, Edward Natapei, pulled out because the itinerary did not include meetings with groups concerned about alleged human rights abuses in West Papua.
Simple truth the West Papuans have no connections what so ever to Indonesia unless someone knows something i don’t know! If East Timor can be ‘let go of” so can West Papua- question is which big power wants to start the ball rolling -Australia , NZ, USA don’t think so Australia & USA are also milking the cow in West Papua!
Hi Graham, having spent the past 25 years covering war around the world, and seen the best and worst people do to each other, I am as much a realist as an idealist and wonder often about the way people often hide behind “realpolitic” as an excuse to not exercise compassion and forthright diplomacy. Should we just avert our eyes then and let the Indo’s get on with their slow genocide on our doorstep? Allow jihadis and the whole terror apparatus transplanted from Timor to dig in where they can springboard into our region? This is a regional security issue as much as a matter of conscience. You might think independence is never going to happen and I agree it is unlikely, but history is ultimately with them. Why? Because I have seen and heard the same arguments whilst covering liberation struggles in East Timor, South Sudan, Kosovo, Bougainville and New Caledonia. The first 3 of those are now all independent and the last 2 get referendums on independence in coming years. Nothing is fixed in stone my friend! Meanwhile relations are going from bad to worse between Jakarta and Canberra and in coming months Indonesia will have a new President unlikely to be as accommodating as SBY. Remember it was Liberal govt policy under Menzies to support an independent West Papua, it was the Liberals who went into East Timor and Liberals who granted 43 West Papuans assylum, that’s why Jakarta hates the Libs. Yes, Fiji had nothing to do Indonesia’s annexation of West Papua and bears no initial responsibility, but it does now by being Indonesia’s errand boy. How they must be chuckling in Jakarta about how easy it was to split the MSG. Instead of putting pressure on Indo to change its behaviour, the MSG has taken their lollypops and left the West Papuans to their fate. This action gives NO incentive to Indonesia to change its behaviour there. If Fiji wants to be a leader in the MSG then it must look out for Melanesian interests everywhere, not bend a regional organisation to suit its own domestic interests. If Frank wants to be respected as a Melanesian leader not just a Fijian leader, then he needs to get on the right side of history. On a personal note, last week was the 10th anniversary of the death of my good friend Mark Worth (I think you knew him too?) in Jayapura under murky circumstances, so I may be more forthright about this issue than usual. Mark’s film for Film Australia called “Land of the Morning Star” is still the definitive factual account of Indonesia’s takeover and if you haven’t seen it I suggest you (and Frank) do. Cheers mate.
Ben, you assume that Fiji in general and Frank in particular have the capacity to lead in the Pacific region. I was just wondering on what insight this assumptions is based. Have you ever had the chance to converse with Frank or with Francis, or with Khaiyum? I had the misfurtune a couple of times and it was always a bit like visiting St Giles. Let us be realistic, this bunch has trouble to run a bath, let alone running a regional organisation or a country for that matter. It is about creaming off a few dollars from Indonesia or anyone else who does not mind the unsavoury stink of corruption wafting around the regime.
Manase, you have just confirmed the chasm between your own perception and reality. Enjoy your bath.
Manase you must be a complete idiot. Don’t you see the progress our government has made. There is now complete transparency and full accountability. Unlike under the unelected dictator Qarase, our PM allows full consultation on all issues. He is even prepared to stand in elections just because the vast majority of the population wants him to. Instead of going into a well deserved retirement he will lead us selflessly for years to come. A true hero of the people by the people!
Manase could you see any Leaders in the South Pacific leading the Pacific countries? Maybe the doce from Samoa could be a leading candidate! When the elections is all over there will some who will still cry foul! As for listening or having a conversation with Frank i have had conversations with Frank and what he said then he would do if Qarase continued down the path of stupidity he was planing on with regards to getting rid of Frank, well Frank did do exactly as he said he would . That conversation took place in front of others who now don’t seem to like Frank anymore.
Fiji is definitely showing concern for West Papua
Dear Oh dear Mr Bohane, you have to actually live in Papua to know what’s really happening, not make the occassional cross-border midnight flit. The charge of genocide is ridiculous propaganda not taken seriously by anybody in any Govt i know of. There are no active militant Jihadist elements and never were any former Timorese militia, apart from a few public servants banished farther east for disloyalty.
During the war in Maluku TNI, facilitated the entry of the Laskar Jihad to the Bird’s Head as a bargaining chip to leverage the decommissioning of Satgas Papua. It was a straight swap, all too easy. TNI told the Protestant pastor who led SP that TNI wasn’t strong enough to resist LJ, who had such magic powers they could put their arms in tubs of boiling water and remain unscathed. Impressed and fearful, the good pastor ensured SP was no more.
Your racist dichotomy of Javanese v Melanesian does nobody a service, least of all Papuans who will have to embrace the settler society that Papua has become if they wish to progress beyond endless iterations of autonomy. The settler population is nowhere near parity, despite the politically motivated boosting both parties have been giving it lately. It remains 35-40%, some third generation, not counting the many thousands of mixed marriages and their children. All major urban centres have large settler majorities, the situation’s reversed in the bush. Combined with the minority of Papuans who will always support the status quo because they benefit from it, Indonesia would almost certainly win a 1 person 1 vote democratic referendum. And that, in a nutshell, is why no Gov will contemplate a change. The numbers aren’t there.
Settler society consists of large demographics from Toraja, Maluku, NTT, Java and Buton. Unfortunately, you can use your fingers to count the number of settler individuals, including activists, who support Independence. Until they’re guaranteed equal rights in a Constitution, and actually trust this will be the case in practice, there will be no shift. There may come a time in the future, though not in our lifetime, when a new generation of Indonesians who instinctively trust democracy to solve problems, can negotiate an amicable divorce with the support of settler society. So long as aging activists are stuck in the racist discourse of Javanese v Melanesian, and the OPM continues to kill ethnically targeted civilians, pro M Papuans will continue to lose ground where it matters most. You’re right about one thing though – Jakarta IS laughing. At you.
I’ve seen the brutal pictures and news articles on facebook.
I get your point since Indonazi is quite authoritarian on their approach towards West Papuan resistance
This is an excellent article on Fijian Holdings by Steven Ratuva. It is a must read:
http://press.anu.edu.au/apps/bookworm/view/Politics+of+preferential+development/10661/ch05.xhtml
Mick Beddoes has filed a police complaint against Bainimarama for carrying out the coup and calls for his arrest.
sa dina! Well if Rabuka was vosoti-ed so can Voreqe as my Bro say ‘same village different Island’