Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has stated that the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) had agreed not to fight for West Papua’s independence from Indonesia. Sogavare has clarified why he did not raise the issue of West Papuan independence at the UN General Assembly session upon his return to Honiara from New York on Wednesday. Sogavare said the MSG agreed not to fight for independence for West Papua in its last meeting. He continued, efforts to achieve independence at the MSG level have historically led to pointless human rights violations against the people of West Papua, as this is closely linked to the independence movement.
According to Sogavare, the sub-regional bloc’s new strategy involves initiating discussions with the Indonesian government. He said the focus was on treating the people of West Papua as part of Melanesia and urged the Indonesian government to respect them. At the UN General Assembly, Sogavare raised the issue of independence of New Caledonia and French Polynesia, but not West Papua. He said the issue of independence and self-determination was a domestic issue that needed to be addressed internally by West Papua. Sogavare said the U.N. Special Committee on Decolonization had established a process that gave them the right to self-determination.
The committee, which was part of the UN General Assembly, was dedicated to matters related to the granting of independence to colonial states and societies. However, Solomon Islands opposition leader Matthew Wale expressed disappointment that Sogavare raised the issue of New Caledonia and French Polynesia at the United Nations, but did not address West Papua. Wale said both the FLNKS, an alliance of pro-independence political parties in New Caledonia, and West Papuans were Melanesians and both wanted independence. He claimed West Papua was suffering from being under Indonesian rule.
“We are Melanesians and we must always join hands with our brothers and sisters in West Papua,” he said. He said diplomacy and geopolitics should not obscure solidarity with the Melanesian community in West Papua. He also repeated his call on MSG leaders to rethink their stance on West Papua. “The Prime Minister should maintain the Solomon Islands stance on West Papua as before. He is no different from Judas Iscariot,” he said, as quoted by RNZ, Thursday (28/9/2023).
West Papua Now 