Free West Papua Party May 2016 Newsletter

 Contents:

• Status Update of the FWPP 
• FWPP Election Plans 
• Status of the Australian WP Movements 
• Status of the Worldwide WP Movements 
• Status of the Melanesian and Pacific WP Movements 
• Paul’s Visit to Vanuatu 
• We Reap What We Sow 

Status Update of the FWPP

The sole objective of the FWPP is to activate the Australian Government to actively support the freedom of West Papua.

We now have over 270 members and need another 280 members for a total of 550 before we can approach the Australia Electoral Commission. Once registered we will step-up our campaign to raise awareness within the Australian political scene and run in the subsequent Federal Election. Membership is AU$1 and the link is Here.

As our party matures we’re gaining acceptance with other West Papua movements, for instance:

• We have a good and growing base of supportive West Papuans; 
• We have some of the more active WP social media supporters within Australia supporting us. 
• We have influential political candidates within PNG that are supportive. 
• Andy Ayamiseba, head of the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation is supportive.
• Most importantly the Vanuatu Free West Papua & Unification Committee (VFW&UC) is supporting us and wants all Australian groups to support us too. Click Here for the letter. Vanuatu is leading the world in trying to free West Papua. One of their great achievements is the formation of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). This was the first time in 50 years that West Papua had united international political focal point. 

FWPP Election Plans

The Federal Election is about to be called for 2/Jul/16. Our party is still forming so we will have limited involvement in this election, our plans are:

• At least one of our supporters is intending to run as an independent for West Papua. Anthony Craig is preparing to run as a self-funded independent to raise awareness for the suffering people of West Papua for the seat of Calare (Central West NSW).  Anthony is an extremely passionate man and is strong voice for West Papua’s freedom and that’s why we love Anthony. Anthony also needs volunteers and funds so if you’d like to help out anyway then please let us know. 
• The FWPP with be contacting all parties running in this federal election to determine their support for West Papua and we will report back our findings so that you have options on who best to vote for. 

Status of the Australian WP Movement

Campaigning in Australia has gone on for at least 30 years. Unfortunately, evidence indicates that the major parties in Australian politics comply with US Foreign Policy. The inference is that to go against the US would be political suicide for the major parties.

It is estimated that about 5% to 10% of Australians are currently aware of West Papua and even less are aware that the Australian Government is funding and training the Indonesian Military. The FWPP estimates that about 30% of Australians need to be aware so that we can create a tipping point.

Some of the reasons for the low awareness in Australia are attributed to:

• The government and big business is dumbing us down regarding political issues. For example, the major TV networks broadcast very little about West Papua, it is as if the media blackout is in Australia and not West Papua. 
• The WP movement in Australia is largely supported by those on the left of politics and we need to try to grow and mainstream the issue so that more people are aware. 
• There is propaganda circulating that WP is “not my struggle”. This is ridiculous, once you realise that it is the Australian Government that is supporting Indonesian rule over West Papua. “Yes” it is our struggle and we struggle against our own government! 

Supporters for West Papua all around the world are watching Australia and asking the question “Can the Australian WP supporters change the heart of the Australian Government?”

Status of the Worldwide WP Movements

Following is the list of countries whose governments have shown support of West Papua:

• Vanuatu 
• Solomon 
• Senegal 
• Tonga 
• Guyana 

The list is slowly growing but the UN is expected to ignore things until one of the more powerful countries gives support. Hopefully, this is just a matter of time.

The International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) had a “historic step on the road to freedom for West Papua” in London recently. Politicians from the above mentioned countries were present and also PNG, MSG, and England. A notable absence is that there was no politician from Australia.

Status of the Melanesian and Pacific WP Movements

Vanuatu is leading the world in pushing for West Papua’s freedom and they are doing their best to convince the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG, which comprises on PNG, Solomon, Vanuatu, Fiji and Kanak (New Caledonia)) to support West Papua. West Papua is Melanesian and so they are blood brothers of the MSG nations. Unfortunately, Indonesia is infiltrating the MSG and reducing support. (FYI Torres Straight Islanders at the top of Queensland are also Melanesian.)

Another key group in the Pacific is the Pacific Islands Association of Non-Government Organisations (PIANGO). PIANGO plans to grow Vanuatu’s, and others, efforts and get all of Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia to support West Papua. This amounts to over 12 countries.

So international support is growing but Australia is not budging at this stage. 

Ni Vanuatu demonstrators outside the Vanuatu MSG Head Office asking for full MSG membership for West Papua

Paul’s Visit to Vanuatu Conference

Ni Vanuatu demonstrators outside the Vanuatu MSG Head Office asking for full MSG membership for West Papua

The visit was most beneficial in networking with key Vanuatu supporters. And the support from Vanuatu for the FWPP was strengthened. I started to get the feeling that supporters for West Papua all around the world are watching Australia and asking the question “Can the Australian WP supporters change the heart of the Australian Government?” Let’s show them that we can!

Unfortunately, the date of the conference slipped a few days and so I had to return before the conference began. But it may have been a blessing in disguise as it gave me the opportunity to meet some people and helped me to grow in understanding that Australia has a mounting debt of crimes against humanity.

Australia is still fumbling through reconciliation with its first people’s, and we have further debts as follows:

• Kidnapped and enslaved some 60,000 Ni Vanuatu (people from Vanuatu) to work in the Queensland cane fields (known as Blackbirding); 
• Approved and supported the Indonesian invasion of West Papua, which has so far killed 500,000 West Papuans; and 
• Did business dealings allowing Indonesia to invade East Timor and kill 200,000. 

We Reap What We Sow

Australia is mocking the universal law that you reap what you sow!

There is a feeling that most Australians are living in a bubble largely unaware of the crimes that our government is committing. We need more and more average Australians to want a government with a changed heart that will avert Australia from disaster.

We’re heading towards disaster because:

• We’re training and arming the Indonesian Military, which has one of the worst human rights records on the planet. Currently this army fights no other battles than to kill people groups that were unwillingly annexed into Indonesia. 
• We are building an economy that is increasingly controlled by the wishes of big business that will stop at nothing to protect their ill-gotten assets. 

Furthermore, it will be us, the average Australians, who reap the disaster that our government has sown.

Let’s show the rest of the world that we can change the heart of our government towards West Papua!

Papua Merdeka!

Party Leader: Paul Madden, May 2016