Page 30 - IB April 2021

Opinion Opinion

Pacific leaders at a previous Forum leaders meeting. File photo.

FORUM’S MORAL FAILURE FOR

MELANESIAN PEOPLE

By Professor Wadan Narsey with the Indonesian Government using brutal violence against
innocent civilians to protect its ill-gotten economic gains from
During the recent crisis over the appointment of Pacific resource-rich seized territory.
Islands Forum Secretariat’s new Secretary General (former Most Forum countries have taken for granted their own in-
Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna), much public debate dependence from former political powers, nearly all obtained
occurred over the supposed “gentlemen’s agreement” to without any spilling of blood or any great struggle.
share the leadership between Melanesia, Polynesia and Micro- So why has Forum not made the West Papuan struggle for
nesia. independence a major issue in Forum deliberations, given
There was little debate about the great regional challenges that the West Papuans are true Melanesians like Papua New
that actually face and defined Forum’s leadership. Guineans or Solomon Islanders or Ni-Vanuatu or even Fijians?
Once upon a time, the stopping of French nuclear tests in One can understand the fear of PNG of its giant super-
the Pacific was such an issue that united all Pacific countries. power neighbour who once upon a time was seen as a positive
Economic integration in the Pacific via the Pacific Island global force in the Non-Aligned Movement alongside India.
Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) and the Pacific Agreement But it is so difficult to understand why Fijian political
of Closer Economic Relations (PACER) then took center stage. leaders (including one former ethno-nationalist) chose to get
But this issue has dwindled away as fairly empty agreements into bed with Indonesia, other than the cheap attraction of
led by Australia and NZ were signed by all the countries, aid dollars from Indonesia (even for an elite Fijian secondary
except the two largest (PNG and Fiji) who really needed to be school).
part of the agreement to make it meaningful. Why has Forum never given special and formal recognition
But to any knowledgeable international observer, there are to West Papuan representatives at Forum gatherings, although
three shocking omissions from the dialogue that need expla- the oppressing power Indonesia has been invited to sit at the
nation: the genocide of West Papuan people, the suppression Forum table as a recognised Dialogue Partner?
of the Kanak call for Independence in New Caledonia and the One issue that has been raised by some writers is the silent
abject failure of Pacific peoples to identify with the plaintive but very real racism of light-skinned Polynesian peoples (and
pleas by the First People of Australia for full recognition. some say the eastern dominated Fijian political leadership)
One common threat in all these three issues is that the towards the dark-skinned Melanesians.
people suffering are all Melanesian people. It may be no coincidence that leadership of the Forum has
The second common thread is that the oppressors of these been dominated for decades by Polynesians who have very
people are major donors with Forum Secretariat and some special relationships with NZ in ways that Melanesian coun-
Pacific countries: France, Australia and Indonesia. tries have never had with Australia.
It may be no surprise that one of the largest financiers of
Genocide of West Papuans Forum is Australia, which has geostrategic reasons not to irri-
The Melanesian people of West Papua have been waging a tate Indonesia by explicit or implicit support for West Papuan
desperate and often bloody struggle for independence from Independence.
the time the Dutch withdrew from New Guinea 50 years ago, One result of Australian and NZ failure to take the lead in

30 Islands Business, April 2021