Melanesian Statehood?

I have often heard and read about the Melanesian independent state movement in West Papua. This movement had obtained support from some group in Vanuatu, in PNG as well as its other neighbouring countries, some even coming from Australia and New Zealand. A pure Melanesian homeland, free and independent from foreign-race occupation which has always been supported by brothers and sisters in the entire region of the South Pacific. The Melanesian region.

I sympathize for all struggles of the oppressed in our world. Although, as the mentions concerning the Melanesian brotherhood and race often arises, it also reminds me of the many issues I hear in many parts of the world. I am reminded of ideologies such as those established by the Ku Klux Klan, the Apartheid in old South Africa, and Hitler’s Nazi Germany being few of the most notorious and well known movements based on the idea of social purity. Without excluding many others, even the ones still existing today- how countries and governments have started to label immigrants from war-torn countries as illegal based on the colour of their skin. They are unwanted, illegal immigrants, or to be more precise, illegal human beings. Hypocrisy is at its peak. These people left to die on land and sea.

With the same rethoric regarding the Papuan independence along with its arguments, it all ends and lead us back to the root basis, which is race.

Is this real? Is this true? Is this the path that we want for our future? I dare say no.

I was brought up by my mother to read, and as a child, one of my favourite stories was about a young and poor girl selling candles during Christmas Eve in a small town in Europe. It was written by H.C. Andersen, who was famous for his children stories, a man that must be as white as any Scandinavian was born. I was also highly invested to books written by Chinese authors such as To Liong To, Sin Tiauw Hiap, Warrior from Tai Li, among others. The authors, definitely as Chinese as a Chinese can be. During adolescence, I enjoyed books written by Charles Dickens, Yasunari Kawabata, and titles such as Dracula by Bram Stoker, as well as Le Carre with his spy thriller stories. From these literature many others, I have learned a few things, including the fact that there is no such thing that can be regarded as purity in culture and race. Such ideas are only a nightmare which was created by lunatics that bring us nothing but sorrow.

I listen to old tembang from Javanese traditional music, especially West Javanese. I love Mozart and Sibelius. Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Avishai Cohen, Astor Piazzolla, and Debussy. I have also come to enjoy Korean pop, among many other kinds of music. All in all, I dream in thousands of languages that gives peace to my heart. I am human.

For these reasons, I must say that I will never support any political movement nor organization based on racial arguments. No matter who they are, powerful or weak.

Racism in an insult to humanity and should be regarded as cancer.

 
Editor’s Note: Articles in Opinion section are written by West Papua Now readers. Please contact us should you wish to share your opinion to our readers.