By Adorina Massing, Vanuatu Daily Post
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has upgraded its Bylaws to Provisional Constitutional status, on the path to achieving a referendum and independence from colonial rule.
ULMWP Chairman Benny Wenda has written a statement which reports the decisions made from the third annual session of the Legislative Council’s congress on October 14th-17th in West Papua, and the Legislative Council’s decision on establishing a binding Provisional Constitution for West Papua.
“The Provisional Constitution ensures that the ULMWP is governed by rules and norms of democracy, human rights and self determination. Every element of this Provisional Constitution is democratic,” he wrote.
“Every element is designed to protect our culture, our identity and way of life.
“It points the way to our dream of creating the World’s first Green State, where every religion and every living being is protected under the law.
“We have learnt from the world the need to protect and build education, healthcare and renewable energy, to defend the rights of Indonesian migrants and Indigenous Papuans, customary land ownership and gender equality.”
Official Caretaker of the West Papua Office in Port Vila, Freddy Waromi said the Provisional Constitution is to guide and keep all parties (3 major organisations with 29 Resistance Groups from each organisation) united under one Movement.
“It is now our time, we are fed up of the Indonesian Government, they are killing us and now we are united more than ever.”
Mr Waromi would like to thank the Vanuatu Government, the Opposition, the VCC and the people for their support and their stand to liberate the West Papua from Colonial rule.
The Congress adopted a resolution that, ‘fully accepts and supports the political positions taken by the people of West Papua in their rejection of the Law No.21, 2001 on Special Autonomy for Papua.’
Mr Wenda stated, “we are not going to bow down to Jakarta’s renewal of so-called Special Autonomy. We are claiming back our Sovereignty from Indonesia. We are working to establish a Government in West Papua, a Government that can lead us to our goal of a referendum and beyond.
Thank you to the Legislative Council and every single person who is dedicating their life to the cause of West Papuan liberation.”
