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| Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Natuman listens intently to 16-year-old Sarafina Kaloran read out the contents of the people’s petition to grant West Papua observer status at the South Pacific Forum |
Vanuatu as a sovereign state continues to support the struggle of colonized people around the world and that includes the struggle for self determination in West Papua.
Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Natuman made this clear to close to 200 West Papua sympathizers at a gathering in Port Vila on Chiefs’ Day.
The veteran Vanuatu politician said while Vanuatu respects its diplomatic relations with Indonesia, it has a duty to defend the interests of colonized people, particularly in the West Papua case because it concerns Melanesians.
He said allegations of human rights abuses in West Papua warranted the international community to speak out but if Australia and New Zealand have opted to remain silent the people of Vanuatu who were once a colonized people must continue to be the voice of the oppressed.
“We shall never forget our history and where we have come from. And decolonization has and always will be the cornerstone of our Foreign Policy,” the Vice President of Vanua’aku Pati that led Vanuatu to Independence in 1980 said.
Minister Natuman says Vanuatu still supports West Papua despite our diplomatic relations with Indonesian. He made hints to the effect that Vanuatu under VP never established diplomatic relations with Indonesia.
According to political commentators Mr Natuman’s statement supersedes previous public comments made by government spokesman George Tarimanu which said that by speaking out for West Papua independence Vanuatu could be perceived to be interferingin the sovereignty of Indonesia.
Natuman, who represented Prime Minister Edward Natapei in accepting the petition from the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, said Vanuatu as a signatory to international and United Nations conventions on human rights it is only appropriate that the country speaks out for the West Papua cause.
When he was about to present the petition to the government minister the President of the Malvatumaori Council of Chiefs, chief Gratien Alguet said the people of Vanuatu have no choice but to support the struggle for West Papua independence because it is enshrined in the preamble of our constitution.
The peaceful parade through Port Vila brought together two former Vanuatu Prime Ministers, Opposition Leader Ham Lini Vanuaroroa, Barak Tame Sope, the wives of the fathers of Vanuatu Independence, different church and political leaders, chiefs, women and youths.
The event yesterday was organized by the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, the Vanuatu Christian Council and the Malvatumaori National Council of Chiefs.
- Ricky Binihi