For West Papua, Withdraw agreement with Jakarta: Natapei

ByGodwin Ligo 

 

Opposition Leader Edward N. Natapei.

Vanuatu,-- The Leader of the Opposition did not mince his words when commenting on the issue of the struggle of the West Papuan people for a political freedom from Indonesia.

“The Opposition has two calls to the Kilman-led government. First is to withdraw an agreement that was signed between Port Vila and Jakarta by the Kilman-led government, and secondly is to withdraw review Indonesia’s observer status in the Melanesian Spearhead Group ( MSG) during the upcoming MSG Meeting in, Noumea, New Caledonia in July of this year,” Opposition Leader Edward Nipake Natapei told Daily Post yesterday at Parliament House.

He said it is totally wrong for Indonesia to meddle in the affairs of the Melanesian countries such as the MSG.

“Remember what the first and late Prime Minister Father Walter Lini said –that Vanuatu will never be fully free until other colonized countries including West Papua are politically freed,” Natapei commented after listening to the talk by the West Papuan Freedom campaigner Benny Wenda.

“The Opposition strongly supports the application for West Papua to become a full member of the MSG at the upcoming MSG Meeting in Noumea New Caledonia in July this year,” said Natapei.

“Melanesian countries are members of the MSG and MSG does not have MSG plus, the plus is West Papua and not Indonesia which is not a Melanesian country,” said the Opposition Leader Natapei.

He confirmed that the Opposition supports the inclusion of West Papua receiving a full status of the MSG Membership to be on the MSG agenda for the upcoming meeting in New Caledonia in July this year.

Source: http://www.dailypost.vu/