Official Announcement by the ULMWP Committee
Melanesia News Network (MNN) has received recent announcement letter from the Committee organising of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Congress I in West Papua, Port Numbay Town this week. The congreess will be held as soon as possible in this week or next week, the note says.
It was announced in written form on Facebook.com page that the important event will happen as follow up of the Extraordinary Sessions of the ULMWP held in Port Vila Vanuatu recent, which endorsed the establishment of ULMWP as an umbrella organisation, endorsed the ULMWP Constitution and appointed new leadership.
This Congress I of ULMWP is called the Papuan Peoples’ Congress IV, as the first congress of the Papuan peoples was held in December 1, 1961, a second one was held in May-June 2000 in Port Numbay, and the third one on October 11, 2011 at Zakeus Soccer Field, Padang Bulan, Abepura, West Papua.
This Fourth Congress of the Papuan Peoples will be held to upgrade the status of leadership of the ULMWP based on the previously endorsed Constitution of the Provisional Government of ULMWP.
The Congress is the first of its kind held officially by the ULMWP, based on the Constitution of the Provisional Government of the ULMWP.
President of the Provisional Government, Honourable Benny Wenda says, we have held so many congresses and done many activities so far. However, this time, our action is purely based on the ULMWP Provisional Government Constitution with complete Ministerial Departments, police and military commanders and above all, we now officially have “governors” or the heads of Seven Cultural Regions of West Papua, who represent the peoples and tribes in their respective regions, but at the same time represent the government to the peoples.
The seven governors are mobilising the peoples of West Papua this time and demanding the ULMWP to hold Congress as follow up of the ULMWP Leaders’ Summit held in Vanuatu recent.
The Constitution endorsed by the Summit obliges the ULMWP to call a Congress in order to formalise the constitution and announce the structure of the Provisional Government to the world, according the Constitution.
The Congress is an important democratic process, legal basis and political legitimacy to represent West Papua’s voice on local, regional and global political arena.
In responding to the appointment of Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka and Hon. James Marape, both the Prime Minister of Fiji and the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea respectively to directly have talks with Indonesia representing the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), West Papua, and particularly the uLMWP has to be ready to engage with Indonesia in all fronts and all the time at all levels of engagement.
One high ranking officer from West Papua Army (WPA) said, the world is not waiting for Indonesia to be ready, but it is waiting for West Papua to get ready, to present herself as a post postmodern nation-state that is ready to engage with all parties around the world, professionally. The world wants to see that West Papuan peoples are ready to run own country and own businesses, to give confidence to the world, particularly MSG leaders and trust from western countries in order to assist West Papua become a new nation-state in this era.
Asked about what Indonesia will do and say regarding the congress, one of the Committee members of the Congress said, this Congress has nothing to do with what Indonesia will or might say or do, but this is to do with our “readiness” and commitment to present ourselves as modern nation-state today.
