Re: Hypocrisy over West Papua | Vanuatu Daily Post - Pure Papua

11.2.12

Re: Hypocrisy over West Papua | Vanuatu Daily Post - Pure Papua
Dear Editor,

I would appreciate if the following could be published in tomorrow's issue, in response to a piece by Pastor Dorothy Regenvanu.
If the Deputy Leader of Opposition must be accused of hypocrisy, what should those who omitted historical facts and appear naïve about due diplomatic process, be accused of?

In your issue No. 3467 of Monday 6 February 2012, Pastor Dorothy Regenvanu, the Matriarch of Ground and Justice Party, alleged that the Deputy Leader of Opposition and Leader of Vanua-aku Party, failed to do anything about the West Papua issue when he was in power. This was in spite of having moved the West Papua Motion in Parliament. The Pastor failed to point out that this motion was drafted by the founding President of Ground and Justice Party. The then Prime Minister Natapei opted for the motion drafted by Honorable Ralph Regenvanu because it was seen to be supported by both sides of Parliament.

He moved this motion knowing very well that the resolutions of Parliament is not likely to receive sub-regional, regional or international support to enable the Vanuatu Government to successfully re-launch the West Papuan issue at the United Nations level.

It is a well-established fact that the Vanua'aku Party championed the case of East-Timor and West Papua throughout the 1980s. When a non-VP government established diplomatic relations with Indonesia in mid 1990s, it legally and effectively committed Vanuatu to recognize that: 1) West Papuans are Indonesian citizens, 2) West Papua forms an integral part of Indonesian territory, 3) that West Papuans are legally ruled from Jakarta by the Indonesian Government, 4) and lastly, that the Indonesian Government is the sole authority to represent West Papua and its peoples overseas, especially at the UN.