By: Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 08:30:22 +0000

A good write up of the popular / diplomatic account; unfortunately betrayal did not start or end with the United Nations, and the West Papuan diaspora need to accept this reality. Villains only need a couple (not hoards) of criminal allies, from 1959 to 1986 in the US Indonesia had the help of Freeport director Robert Lovett, he alone was enough to whisper in the ear and misguide the US Presidents and policy advisers without revealing his personal interest in West Papua’s fate. At the United Nations after the death of Dag Hammarakjold, Indonesia had U Thant and no doubt also C.V Narasimhan perverting UN conduct in relationship to West Papua. And in likewise Vanuatu and elsewhere Indonesia only needs one or two people whispering misleading advice while concealing their own Indonesian agenda.
At first a call for ‘unity’ might sound good, but a demand for unity is not. Back around 1991, again in 2008 and again in 2014 Vanuatu has demanded that West Papuan prove unity as a condition for Vanuatu assistance, each time the Vanuatu demand has created Papuan disruption, conflicts and political competitions, and each time Vanuatu has reneged on the promised support for independence.
Vanuatu is a friend not an enemy, but obviously there have been one or two people misguiding Vanuatu policy for benefit of Indonesian control in Papua. It does not matter who were or are the people still whispering in the Vanuatu’s government’s ear, the important thing is to denounce the deception of the false for for unity.
Vanuatu, New Zealand and other nations legally owe West Papua independence because our governments acting as the United Nations annexed West Papua and then appointed Indonesia to “administrate” West Papua.
And our governments morally owe West Papua our assistance even if there is only one person asking. We do NOT have any right to demand West Papua do what our nations can not, find a person or body that speaks for every single person and fraction within a nation.
Some people in West Papua want to be Indonesians, but we do NOT have a right to impose that choice on others, our governments voted to annex West Papua and therefore we owe the people and nation help in exercising their right of self-determination that we in 1962 took from them.

Comments on: Vanuatu – West Papua – MSG: An epic saga of messianic hope, betrayal, tragedy and resurrection

By: Andrew Johnson