Political realities
TWO recent examples of seemingly impossible political realities that were suddenly realised via a conjunction of time, events and people are the modern State of Israel and that of East Timor.
The recent prison break and clashes in West Papua does titillate the mind as to whether similar opportunities do exist for the seemingly impossible aspiration of a re-unified Papua New Guinea or even an independent West Papua. Because the annexation of West Papua by Indonesia was condoned by the west (primarily Australia, the US and UK ) because of geopolitical and foreign policy considerations at the time (but now anachronistic) and the acceptance of the sham referendum thereafter are festering wounds crying to the heavens for reparation.
The existence of a viable and vibrant Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) drawing attention in international fora to the plight of the West Papuan people would have offered great leverage.
Indeed some would speculate that the current US president would have been the most receptive compared with past presidents and as such for our PM this would have been an issue most worthy of shaming the US, Australia and the UK into resolving as compared with the debatable climate change phenomena. Sadly MSG is now defunct.
It is also better late than never that the international community urgently address this issue now because of the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Indonesia via wholesale resettlement in West Papua of ethnic Indonesians with the full knowledge of the international community.
The foreign policy community of the West have long concluded that absent the Judaic-Christian underpinnings from policies than myopic and erratic outcomes ensue. Sadly our PM could have left a legacy where the West redeemed its conscience for past misdeeds and he contributed to something historic.
But for now we will never know whether that conjunction of time, events and people exists. However what we know is that West Papuans will continue to yearn for that day in the future.
MAREKO VULI
Wainibuku Rd, Nakasi