MSG Chair Dubs Meeting With PNG Prime Minister As ‘Very Fruitful’

By PM Press –March 16, 2017

The MSG Chair, Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare and the PNG Prime Minister, Hon Peter O’Neill.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Chair, Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare of Solomon Islands has described his dialogue with the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister, Hon Peter O’Neill as ‘very fruitful.’

The MSG Chair met with Hon O’Neill in the PNG Capital, Port Moresby yesterday, concluding his second and final round of consultations with MSG leaders since taking up the chairmanship of the Melanesian sub-regional grouping in June 2015.

The key issues of discussion included the following:

MSG Special Leaders’ Summit;
Outcome of the Meeting of the MSG sub-committee on Legal and Institutional Issues {SCLII) in Port Vila in December 2016. SCLII is the MSG sub-committee that makes recommendations to the MSG Governing Bodies- Senior Officials Meeting, Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Leaders’ Summit;
West Papua;
MSG Free Trade Agreement;
MSG Labour Mobility, Independent Review of the MSG Secretariat; and
MSG Chairmanship Handover from Solomon Islands to Papua New Guinea.

Speaking after his meeting with Prime Minister O’Neill, the MSG Chair said “I had a very fruitful meeting with the PNG Prime Minister on the agendas of discussion as I also had with Prime Minister Charlot Salwai of Vanuatu, Victor Tutugoro of the FLNKS and Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama of Fiji earlier on in February.”

On the issue of Special Leaders’ Summit, the MSG Chair said he expressed regret over his inability to convene any Special Leaders’ Summit in December 2016 due to the non-availability of colleague leaders.

He said a Special Leaders’ Summit was supposed to be held to approve the recommendations from various bodies of MSG including SCLII.

However, the MSG Chair said the various bodies of the MSG- SCLII and Senior Officials Meeting (SOM)- did meet and made a number of recommendations to the Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) for submission to the Leaders’ Summit for final approval.

He said the MSG Capitals’ visit was therefore important to consult with colleague leaders on various recommendations from the various MSG Bodies for final approval

“I have met with both Prime Minister Charlot Salwai of Vanuatu and Victor Tutugoro of the FLNKS in Port Vila and Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama of Fiji in Suva as part of this second and final round of consultations earlier in February this year. I was supposed to travel on to Port Moresby to meet with Prime Minister Peter O’Neill but had to postpone the Port Moresby leg of the trip because the PNG Parliament was in session.

“I am now pleased that I finally met with Prime Minister O’Neill yesterday and my meeting with the PNG Prime Minister like my previous meetings with my other colleague leaders was very fruitful.”

On the Outcome of the Meeting of SCLII in Port Vila in September last year, the MSG Chair said he informed Prime Minister O’Neill that the meeting endorsed the proposed Revised MSG Membership Guidelines and was brought to the attention of the SOM and FMM in their meeting which immediately followed the SCLII meeting and were endorsed by the Governing Bodies in December 2016.

He said he informed the PNG Prime Minister that Prime Minister Salwai, FLNKS Spokesman, Mr Tutugoro and Prime Minister Bainimarama have all agreed in principle to the Revised MSG Membership Guidelines and during his consultations with them.

The revised guidelines provide a very transparent process for Leaders to deliberate on an application for membership whereby they enhance and protect the decision-making process and respect the reporting structure of the MSG at the Summit level as stipulated under Articles 7 (1) and (2) of the MSG Agreement.

The MSG Chair said Prime Minister O’Neill in turn expressed support for the Revised MSG Membership Guidelines and as such, Leaders will meet and formally approve them at the next MSG Leaders’ Summit.

On the issue of West Papua, the MSG Chair said he told Prime Minister O’Neill that the United Liberation Movement of West Papua’s (ULMWP’s) application for membership of the MSG will be dealt with under the Revised MSG Membership Criteria.

He said Prime Minister O’Neill expressed the ULMWP’s membership of the MSG is not an issue to PNG but rather the ULMWP proving that it is a united body that represents the collective views of the people of West Papua just as the FLNKS is evidently a united body representing the collective views of the Kanaks of New Caledonia.

The MSG Chair said the PNG Prime Minister further stated that any discussion on the issue of sovereignty should be taken up appropriately with the United Nations Decolonisation Committee (C24) in New York and the Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

On the issue of MSG Free Trade Agreement, the MSG Chair said Prime Minister O’Neill stated that PNG will be signing up the agreement after sorting out some issues of concern with Fiji.

On the issue of MSG Labour Mobility, the MSG Chair said Prime Minister O’Neill has expressed desire to see this opened up so that Melanesians from other Melanesian countries do not have to apply for work permit to work in PNG and vice versa.

On the issue of Independent Review of the MSG Secretariat, the MSG Chair told Prime Minister O’Neill that the purpose of the review, which started since January pursuant to the Governing Body decision in December for the review to be undertaken. Its bold objective is to ensure a wholly functional, resilient and robust secretariat that delivers on the mandates of leaders.

He said the PNG Prime Minister conveyed PNG’s firm support for the review and offered assistance to the secretariat to ensure the reform is undertaken smoothly and swiftly.

On the issue of MSG Chairmanship Handover, the MSG Chair said he had sought the view of Prime Minister O’Neill as to when should Solomon Islands hand over the chairmanship to PNG this year and the PNG Prime Minister said Solomon Islands should hold on to the position until after the PNG General Elections in June.

The MSG Chair and his delegation will return to Honiara tomorrow, Friday 17^th March.

March 16, 2017 0

Gen. WPRA Mathias Wenda: Let All Beings Sing, Praise the Lord for PCWP Support in Geneva Last Night

In the morning of Thursday, March 2, 10`7, I woke up from my sleep, wandering why this morning, the birds and other beings on the ground, were making a lot and a lot of noise, not as usual. I was also visited by many guests during my sleep: all troops who dies in the fight against Indonesia came, having a big party all night; including my younger brothers the Late Gen. Kelly Kwalik and Brig. Gen. Hans Bomay were there.

I wanted to talk to them, but they all just waved and said, “celebrate, celebrate, celebrate, ….. so many times.”

When I reconnect back to the morning dancing and singing I was having in the West Papua Revolutionary Army (WPRA) Central Headquarters in the Jungle Of New Guinea this morning, I am then told that “We are also telling you, “celebrate, celebrate, celebrate…”

I did not wait, I went out and sing songs, dancing and singing and dancing for some 30 minutes, until all other troops woke up. Most of them joined into my songs, others were confused. They thought, “How come this old man is now drunk? He is a priest, carries the Bible on the right hand, and his gun on the left hand, but now he is drunk?” They thought “No, he is not drunk”.

I praise you the Lord, Almighty God, for your creation of this New Guinea Island, for the people of Melanesia, for our culture, for wisdom and understanding that you gave us, that make us unique in this planet Earth, that glorify your own power and presence. Today I praise you the Lord, for what you have done to me and to my struggle to free my people from the colonialism of Indonesia.

You have created us Melanesians and given us our places, starting from Raja Ampat of West Papua to Fiji, from Biak and Manus Islands to New Caledonia, this is what we humans ended up calling ourselves as Melanesian peoples, the peoples of the Black Archipelago, to pair with the Black Continent of Africa.

This morning I have a vision, that singing and dancing is the key towards victory, and together with the spirits of those who have died during this struggle, I now wake up, stand up, dance and sing, to praise you alone.

I pray that God bless West Papua governor, my Son Lukas Enembe, PNG Prime Minister my Son Peter O’Neill, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare Vanuatu Prime Minister Mr. Charlot Salwai, Kanak LeaderVictor Tutugoro, Fiji Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama so that they stand up united, strong and one voice, for the sake of their own Melanesian Identity and Integrity, for the sake of our unity and sovereignty, as we all came out from one father, and one mother, our father is Melanesia, our mother is Melanesia.

After praying all these, Gen. Wenda quickly went to lay down and slept for about 30 minutes, then he asked one of his staff to go to connect to the Internet and read if there is anything coming out.

He then realised, that just a few hours before his dancing and praying, Seven Pacific Leaders were speaking at the UN Human Rights Commission Meeting in Geneva, on behalf of the Pacific Coalition on West Papua (PCWP).

He then asked all his staff members to clap their hands, and again praise the Lord. He then bowed his head down to the Earth, and said,

Let All Beings Sing, Praise the Lord for PCWP Support in Geneva Last Night

March 2, 2017 0

West Papua Problem Will Only be Solved in Melanesian Way, by Melanesian Leaders

West Papua Liberation Army (WPRA) Secretary-General, towards the end term of his office before the secretariat-general office is being ended by its Commander in Chief, Gen. WPRA Mathias Wenda, made a public statement last night that “West Papua Problem Will Only be Solved in Melanesian Way, by Melanesian leaders“, in reply to written questions sent by PMNews (Free West Papua News at papuapost.com via Email and Mobile Text Message.

PMNews: Hello, this is from PMNews again, we would like to ask some questions in relation to current development of West Papua independence campaign. It was reported recently that the Solomon Islands Prime Minister as the Chair of Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has toured and met other Melanesian leaders, except the PNG Prime Minister. What do you make out of this development?

WPRA: We thank to God, Almighty, creator of our Melanesian Islands, particularly the home of Melanesians, the Isle of New Guinea, and to our Melnaesian leaders, who are already standing up for their own people and our common identity as Melanesians.

About the current progress of MSG Chair meeting other MSG leaders, we are really grateful that this is happening. About MSG Chair not yet met PNG Premier, please PMNews,do not worry about this. This is exactly we call “The Melaensian Way”. The most obvious feature of the “Melanesian Way” is: UNPREDICTABLE. Please not it, Melanesians are unpredictable, what we do always unpredictable. When Barack Obama, Donal Trump, T. May, Joko Widodo say something, then most of us will be able to predict what they mean and what they imply at the same time. But when Melanesian peoples say something, they can mean something totally different, it is just unpredictable.

PMNews: United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) was promised to be accepted as Full Member of the MSG by early 2017, but this did not happen. Do you think this is also related to “The Melanesian Way”?

WPRA: You are absolutely right. You got it now. That is exactly why I said, we are Melanesians, and we are unpredictable.What we do is the same as the modern world do things. Melanesians are Melanesians. West Papua Issue is now Melanesian Issue, and we are now already dealing with it. Do not do things in Melanesia according to the Western mindset. It will have a counter-productive outcome.

PMNews: Does it mean Melanesian leaders can make promises but then it is OK if they do not deliver?

WPRA: You were already good in previous question, but now you got it wrong in this question. PLEASE: Do not focus on semi-membership and full-membership. That is western mind. Please focus on “membership”. Full stop. ULMWP is ALREADY a member of the MSG, full stop.

Be thankful, work on it, cultivate and nurture communication and collaboration with Melanesian leaders, our own leaders. Do not treat PNG Premier and Solomon Premier as different peoples. They are just one: Melanesian leaders.

West Papua just born into Melanesian family, a new born baby. Do not ask for food yet, milk first. Work first, cultivate first, nurture first, then things will evolve automatically and naturally. We are not talking about other peoples. We are talking about our own Melanesia and Melanesians. Think in Melanesian Way, Act in Melanesian Way.

PMNews: Elaborate more on the “Melaensian Way” that you are talking about.

WPRA: Just one short story. If you want a girl from another clan, what do you normally do? You must behave, you must show yourself capable man, know how to build house, make garden, and be a man, a husband. If your thinking and behavior is like a small kids, no woman will be willing to marry you, no clan will approve you to get their daughter.

You do not need to go around, you do not need to go to their men’s houses and put notice and distribute leaflets asking for support for your marriage with the girl. You do not need to ask other boys to join you in your demonstration. That will make the whole thing counter-productive, right?

What you should do is “behave”, do things that Melanesian peoples do in order to get attention, and in order to get support!

When we Melanesians live long time in the west, then we forget our own Melanesian Way. This is why we say we are Melanesians, but we do in western way. “Our Voice is like that of Jacob’s, but our skin feels like that of Esau’s”. What a game we are into now.

Get out from there. Be Melanesians, do things in Melanesian Way.

Everything is already on the right track. Nothing to worry about. Just TRUST….

Trust in God and His miracles;
Trust in Melanesia and Melanesian leaders’ wisdom
Trust in Yourselves as Melanesians in West Papua.

And then…

As far as possible, avoid to trust opinion from Non-Melanesian(s), because they have their own interests and we do not want them to change our course into their course;
As far as possible, DELETE doubt in yourself, and in your own Melanesian peoples, because that is the deadliest disease that we can have in order to destroy us Melanesians and our future; and
Only then, you can have the capability to absorb and comprehend ideas and suggestions from outside Melanesia, and then you can properly make use of things coming from outside.

PMNews: Your advice is not really easy, because we are in a globalised world, out West Papuan leaders now live in the West and we do not know what things they are getting from there and what things they want to use to Free West Papua.

WPRA: The right Melanesian leaders from West Papua will choose to live in one of Melanesian states, just like what Any Ayamiseba and The Late Dr. OPM John Otto Ondawame did. If they choose to live in the western countries, we will surely know that they dot not FULLY represent West Papuans, but they PARTLY represent non-Melanesians as well.

PMNwes: Any advice for Melanesian youths in West Papua and all over Indonesia?

WPRA: Not now, nothing to say for them right now.

Since 2004, WPRA has already been active in building bases for Free West Papua Campaign across Melanesian states. Since 2006, or ten years ago, we already have moved the Field of West Papua Political Match from Western New Guinea to Eastern New Guinea. Therefore, the match now is happening in PNG, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Kanaky and Vanuatu, not in West Papua or Indonesia anymore.

There is no comment for spectators. When there is a match, people normally give comments on the match, not on the spectators. Thank you.

January 27, 2017 0

Sogavare: Para pemimpin MSG wajib hasilkan keputusan positif

Ketua MSG, Perdana Menteri Sogavare (tengah) bersama para pemimpin MSG, Perdana Menteri Charlot Salwai (kiri), dan Juru Bicara FLNKS Victor Tutugoro - IST — Ketua MSG, Perdana Menteri Sogavare (tengah) bersama para pemimpin MSG, Perdana Menteri Charlot Salwai (kiri), dan Juru Bicara FLNKS Victor Tutugoro – IST

Jayapura, Jubi – Perdana Menteri Manasseh Sogavare melakukan tur ke Vanuatu, Fiji dan PNG dalam rangka membangun konsensus dengan para pemimpin Melanesia lainnya terkait sejumlah isu penting dengan cara dialog dan persaudaraan Melanesia.

Menurutnya, dalam rilis yang dikeluarkan kantor Perdana Menteri Selasa (17/1/2017), tur tersebut menyusul pertemuan tingkat menteri Desember lalu di Port Vila, tur tersebut untuk membicarakan dua isu penting dengan para pemimpin MSG.

Isu pertama adalah restrukturisasi sekretariat MSG di Port Vila agar memastikan kesesuaiannya dengan prioritas-prioritas anggota MSG serta memberikan layanan mendesak pada warga MSG. Isu selanjutnya adalah Pedoman Keanggotaan.

Akhir tahun lalu pihak-pihak yang mendukung keanggotaan penuh ULMWP di MSG, seperti Pastor Allan Nafuki, Ketua Asosiasi Free West Papua Vanuatu (VFWPA) mengaku kecewa karena para pemimpin MSG tidak memenuhi janji mereka mendorong keanggotaan penuh ULMWP pada di Port Vila akhir Desember lalu.

Sebelumnya, Nafuki pernah menyatakan Manasseh Sogavare mengatakan pada dirinya dengan maupun tanpa kehadiran PNG dan Fiji, KTT MSG Desember lalu akan tetap dilangsungkan dan menjamin masuknya ULMWP menjadi anggota penuh MSG.

Namun seperti diketahui, KTT para pemimpin yang berhak memutuskan status keanggotaan ternyata urung terjadi, dan pertemuan sebatas para menteri luar negeri anggota-anggota MSG membicarakan pedoman keanggotaan baru yang dibuat agar lebih berkesesuaian dengan prinsip-prinsip dasar Kemelanesiaan. Pedoman tersebut rencananya akan ditetapkan pada pertemuan KTT para pemimpin MSG yang hingga saat ini belum ditetapkan tanggal pelaksanaanya.

Tur Sogavare yang sedang berlangsung ke tiga negara anggota MSG tersebut hendak mendorong agar Pedoman Keanggotaan dan Aplikasi atas Keanggotaan Baru mendapat persetujuan.

“Kehendak saya semata-mata untuk memastikan agar Pedoman ini segera disetujui oleh para Pemimpin,” ujar Sogavare sambil mengingat kunjungan pertamanya yang berdampak positif dalam mendorong kesepemahaman terkait isu-isu di wilayah itu.

“Tujuan saya ingin mendorong dialog yang lebih sering antar pemimpin sehingga kita dapat membangun konsensus dan kesepemahaman terkait isu-isu penting di wilayah kita. Para pemimpin juga punya tanggung jawab lebih besar untuk pastikan keputusan-keputusan berdampak positif pada kehidupan warganya,” kata dia.

Sogavare mengapresiasi sambutan Perdana Menteri Vanuatu kepada delegasinya sejak tiba di Port Vila Minggu malam lalu. Pertemuan dengan Charlot Salwai dan juru bicara FLNKS Victor Tutugoro berlangsung Selasa.

Menurutnya kedua pemimpin beserta dirinya akan membangun level interaksi yang lebih erat dengan Perdana Menteri Fiji Bainimarama Jumat (20/1) dan Perdana Menteri PNG Peter O’Neill akhir Februari nanti.

Oleh sebab itu, delegasi Kepulauan Solomon dan Perdana Menteri Sogavare akan kembali ke Honiara, Kepulauan Solomon Minggu (22/1). Pertemuan dengan Peter O’Neil dipindah ke bulan Februari.

Ketua MSG akan membuat pernyataan hasil diskusinya dengan rekan-rekan MSG selama kunjungan putaran kedua, khususnya setelah menyelesaikan tur ke Port Moresby bulan depan. (*)

January 20, 2017 0

Disagreements on West Papua membership to MSG

4:24 pm GMT+12, 17/07/2016, Solomon Islands

Disagreements remain among leaders of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) on the issues of West Papua’s full membership even though an agreed communiqué stated that the deferral was a secretarial issue.

Since the agreed communiqué from the MSG special leaders’ summit in Honiara was announced publicly, leaders from the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Kanak National Socialist Liberation Front (FLNKS) have publicly disagreed with the outcome, saying the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) deserves full membership to the MSG.

In respective interviews with PACNEWS, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (Solomon Islands), Prime Minister Charlot Salwai (Vanuatu), Victor Tutugoro (FLNKS), said they support the aspirations for the self-determination of the people of West Papua and the full membership of ULMWP to the MSG.

Vanuatu’s Prime Minister, Charlot Salwai, said the issue of membership, in particular the discussions of the membership of Melanesians of West Papua through the ULMWP as a full Member into the Melanesian family is a long time cry by Melanesians around the world including my country.

“Admitting ULMWP or Melanesians into the MSG should be the same basis for admitting the Kanaky through the FLNKS. Vanuatu has always believed that other Melanesians are ready to be admitted into the MSG family,”

said Prime Minister Salwai.

He said Vanuatu is adamant that being Melanesians they should not be subject to any form of criteria.

“We want meaningful dialogue and we can only do this when we are together. Vanuatu therefore gravely regrets the deferral of the admission of ULMWP on the matter of criteria, a clear sign that officials and the secretariat fell short in carrying out their duties consistent with the fundamental founding principles of this eminent organisation for Melanesians.”

FLNKS Spokesperson, Victor Tutugoro, shared similar sentiments, saying that all Melanesians deserved similar treatment at the MSG and as leaders there is a responsibility to protect and give voice to Melanesians in West Papua.

Tutugoro said he was not pleased with the deferral, stressing that there is a great need to support ULMWP’s political recognition at the MSG, thus, it would strengthen its political aspirations at the international level such as the UN.

“We Kanaky people were granted membership in a similar struggle to our brothers and sisters in West Papua and we feel that the same should be given to West Papuans as they are rightfully Melanesians and they need our Melanesian leaders support.”

Meanwhile, Fiji’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, while speaking on behalf of the Fiji government said Fiji respects the sovereignty of the people and government of Indonesia.

“We as the MSG must always respect the sovereignty of all member or associated countries of the MSG. To do otherwise would undermine the premise of the MSG. Because only through respect of sovereignty and commitment to dialogue can we reach mutual understanding,” said Ratu Inoke.

SOURCE: PACNEWS

July 17, 2016 0