On behalf of the people of West Papua, I offer congratulations to all our Melanesian brothers and sisters in Papua New Guinea following your independence day. I hope that your new Government and Cabinet will create a new era of prosperity and justice across New Guinea.
We are all Papuans, whether we are born in Nduga or Lae, in Wamena or Port Moresby. We share our values, our tribal culture, our Melanesian identity. But because of colonialism, our spirit is divided. Indonesia’s occupation of West Papua is a wound in the heart of our island, and a threat to peace and justice across the Pacific.
But this does not mean we will stay apart forever. Just like the Berlin Wall, the artificial colonial border that separates us will one day fall. Only then will all people of New Guinea, from Sorong to Samarai, be able to enjoy the fruit of our green land in unity and peace.
Brothers and sisters, that day is coming. Until it arrives, I ask all Papuans living across the border to pray for our liberation and support our self-determination struggle. Soon, we will all celebrate independence together, as free people living in our ancestral lands.
God bless Papua New Guinea. Wa wa wa.
Benny Wenda
Interim President
ULMWP Provisional Government
