Prime Minister: Vanuatu only hope for West Papua

By

 Godwin Ligo
SEE VIDEO OF THE ADDRESS OF VANUATU PRIME MINISTER MOANA CARCASSES KALOSIL HERE .

“Vanuatu is the only country in the world that is not afraid to stand up and speak out for the right of freedom for the West Papuan people whether in the United Nations (UN), or other meetings anywhere in the world,” Vanuatu Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil, told Acting Prime Minister Willie Jimmy Tangapararua, State Ministers, Senior Government Officials and representatives of West Papua on his arrival in Vanuatu yesterday afternoon.

He said not every country around the world is supportive as Vanuatu to voice the concern of the suffering and brutality faced by the West Papuan People.

“I fully agree and uphold the quote by the late Father Walter Lini, first Prime Minister of Vanuatu that Vanuatu is not totally free until other colonized people in the region are politically freed ,” said PM Carcasses.

“The West Papuan people are a suffering community. It is therefore the duty of Vanuatu which is the only country in the world that is not afraid to face up to such a powerful nation as Indonesia to bring the issue of West Papua to the UN Committee on Human Right.

“It is a God-given right that Vanuatu must gain independence in 1980 and so the same with the people who are still being colonized and the duty of an independent state of Vanuatu to stand up and speak out for the freedom of these colonized people because it is God’s will for this people to be freed, “ said PM Carcasses.

Prime Minister Carcasses said the Chairman of the UN Committee on Human Rights who is from South Africa told him that he admired the prime minister’s courage in the manner in which he stood up and spoke out for the freedom of the West Papuan people. He also said other world leaders that he met after his speech also expressed the same.

“We have already discussed with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Edward Natapei) in New York to prepare a document on West Papua case to go before the Council of Ministers to approve for Vanuatu to host a Special Forum which will bring together leaders of West Papua from around the world to come together to Port Vila to deliberate on the new roadmap towards the freedom of West Papuan people.

“This was confirmed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Edward Natapei who said the Forum will take place around July or thereafter pending funding from international supports and arrangements to be in place.

“I am confident we have full support from the government, and the people Vanuatu on the stand we have taken in speaking out for the West Papuan people in the UN Committee on Human Rights,” said Prime Minister Carcasses.

On the question of how Indonesia reacted to his speech and the call for the freedom of the West Papuan people, Prime Minister Carcasses replied that, Indonesia used a diplomatic way in rejecting the call by Vanuatu’s Prime Minister.

“This is normal for Indonesia to find a diplomatic tact to reject to the call, but Vanuatu will continue to apply pressure with a new roadmap for the freedom of the West Papuan people,” said PM Carcasses.

Prime Minister Carcasses was accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Natapei, MP Joe Natuman and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General, Johnny Koanapo.