Monday, November 27, 2017

NEWS FLASH: AFTER FIASCO WITH POPE, VANUATU PM HOSTS SEPARATISM SUMMIT

West Papua separatist leaders converge in Port Vila to plan next move. Cracks in unity noted by PM Salwai.

Port Vila, Vanuatu
ABCMelanesia



Pope Francis sporting a black eye as a result of bumping on his Popemobile in Colombia in September 2017 (source: www.AmericanMagazine.org)


After causing a fiasco during the audience of Pacific Leaders with His Holiness Pope Francis two weeks ago in the Vatican, Prime Minister Charlot Salwai again made headlines for the wrong reasons. 

In his welcome speech to the members of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Prime Minister Charlot Salwai begged the group to stay united and follow the directions of the current leadership, as reported by Radio New Zealand.




L-R: Armed separatists, Rex Rumakiek, Benny Wenda, Oktovianus Mote, Kelly Kwalik


The ULMWP is an amalgamation of a number of West Papua separatist groups established on 7 December 2014. However differences among the ULMWP executives and the ULMWP armed groups in West Papua are putting serious strain on the group. 

Recently the Secretary-General of the Revolutionary Military of West Papua (RMWP), Lt. General Amunggut Tabi stated:


"If the ULMWP does not have the capacity to form a West Papua Republic, then all the people in West Papua have the right to question: what is the purpose of establishing the ULMWP? To profit on the suffering of the Papuan people?" 

General of the RMWP Mathias Wenda sharply criticized Benny Wenda, Octo Mote and the leadership of the ULMWP:

"Since the ULMWP was established three years ago, the Papua independence campaign has been conducted sporadically and incompetently, much like the ways of the old political generation."  

General Mathias Wenda further added:


"The quarrel between Benny Wenda and Oktovianus Mote, is based on their personal interests and egos.They do not have integrity nor the needed hardness to lead the Papua campaign."

Benny Wenda is the spokesperson and Mr. Mote is the secretary-general of the ULMWP. 

Benny Wenda, Mr. Mote, Jacob Rumbiak, Rex Rumakiek and other ULMWP leaders have been revealed to have spent millions of dollars of Papua campaign money to fund their lavish lifestyles including flying business or first class in their travels, paying off mortgages in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Wenda, Mote and Rumbiak are known to have sent large sums of money to separatist groups in West Papua to buy assault weapons, bomb materials and other illegal purchases. 

Many of the separatist armed groups funded by Wenda and the ULMWP are opposed to General Mathias Wenda and Lt. General Amunggut Tabi, raising the possibility of an all-out civil war.

The separatism summit in Port Vila comes at a time when PM Salwai is facing corruption accusations, defections and low popularity

It is also happening on the heels of damaging revelations that PM Salwai lied to Pope Francis in an audience at the Vatican. 

Despite Mr Salwai's claim to have raised West Papua with the Pope, no Pacific Islands leader had the opportunity to deliver any statements during the audience with His Holiness.

Other Pacific Leaders in attendance were reported to have been deeply embarrassed and angry at the uncalled for unilateral actions of PM Salwai. A senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity revealed that:

"The actions of PM Salwai was simply disgusting. We have worked very hard for many years to build a good relationship with the Vatican and with the Pope himself. In one single meeting, Mr Salwai destroyed the trust we have enjoyed with the Vatican. It is shameful." 

It is baffling to see a Christian leader of Vanuatu, a Christian-majority country, in a rare audience with the Pope, chose instead to break the Ninth Commandment in front of His Holiness himself. 

Meanwhile, domestically an MP has accused Mr Salwai of misappropriating close to two million dollar of aid money.

On 15 November Jay Ngwele of Ambae province and Vanuatu's Special Envoy on Climate Change quit in protest of blatant misuse of US$1.85 million of aid money for the residents of Ambae affected by the volcano.

Radio New Zealand reported that:


"Mr Ngwele said of the $US1.85 million dollars approved by the Council of Ministers to help the Ambae people, about half went on travel costs, accommodation and allowances for politicians, including the prime minister, and government officials.."

Mr Ngwele characterised PM Salwai as “both insulting and childish”.

PM Salwai has faced corruption scandals, defections, mutiny, serious health-scare and votes of no confidence.



PM Charlot Salwai (left) in happier times with Manasseh Sogavare, former PM of Solomon Islands who was fired for corruption


A regional analyst from a South Pacific University observed that:


"The problems facing PM Salwai government is real. The criticism laid on him has its merit, such as the corruption scandal involving aid money for the people of Ambae.

Unfortunately, rather that tackle the heart of the problems at home, PM Salwai has been doing the opposite. He is instead avoiding the problem and deflecting attention to international issues, such as West Papua.

PM Salwai's uses international platform like in the MSG, PIF and recently a meeting with the Pope in Vatican to "advocate" on West Papua.

But the truth of the matter is, PM Salwai is only advocating for his own political survival. He knows that his days are numbered. He knows that his unlawful activities will soon catch up on him. Like a cornered rat, he will bite anyone, even his fellow MP like Mr Ngwele."   

West Papua and Papua are two provinces of Indonesia that historically has been administered by the Majapahit Kingdom in the 13th century that ruled most of what is now Indonesia. In 1969, the United Nations reaffirmed West Papua as part of Indonesia.

A political analyst observed that:

"The Vanuatu PM failed to mention that West Papua exercises free, fair and open democracy recognized by the international community of nations. About 2.7 million voters routinely elect MPs and governments."

The Vanuatu PM, who has faced numerous votes of no confidence since taking office in February 2016, has often spoken about the concept of "Melanesian brotherhood" and his dream of uniting all Melanesian countries into one nation. Countries that has significant Melanesian population includes Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, New Caledonia, PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

South Pacific political analysts view the PM's words in the UN chamber are dangerous to the stability of the region. Joanne Wallis, an Australian analyst, has spoken of the "arc of instability" of the South Pacific.

Applying the same logic that the Vanuatu PM uses, along the lines of race (Melanesia) and human rights, other countries in the region are also threatened.

That twisted logic dictates that the Aboriginal people of Australia should be an independent nation. Bounganville in PNG and Kanak of New Caledonia should be independent. The thinking encourages for the merging of all Melanesian-populated countries into one nation by hook or by crook.


"When Vanuatu speaks about re-drawing legitimate international borders like in the case of West Papua, all it does is stokes dangerous tensions and insecurity in the region." concluded the analyst.

Armed group part of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP)

Benny Wenda, leader of the ULMWP (left) and the late Kelly Kwalik, a West Papua terrorist (right)


Both Mr Salwai, the Vanuatu PM and Benny Wenda, the leader of the ULMWP clearly have no respect for the Ninth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Lie.  


ABCMelanesia

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