By Georgina Maka’a 

OPPOSITION leader Matthew Wale has expressed disappointment with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s stand on the West Papua issue, labeling it as “hypocritical”. 
Wale said Sogavare used to be a strong supporter and advocator for West Papua, but he has now taken a 180-degree turn on the issue. 

“I am actually not surprised that Sogavare has changed his face on the West Papua issue,” Wale stated. 

“It is a shame and hypocritical of him because he was once a very strong supporter,” he added. 

Wale’s comments came after Sogavare returned from last week’s Melanesia Spearhead Group (MSG) leaders’ summit in Vanuatu, Monday this week. 

The MSG leaders’ summit refused West Papua’s application to become a member of the MSG, recommending instead further discussions and a visit to West Papua by human rights observers. 

West Papua, currently a province of Indonesia, has been fighting for independence over the last decades. Their struggle has been often met with abuse and atrocities by the Indonesian military. 

West Papuans were distinctly Melanesians. 

Sogavare told journalists that the MSG chair has been requested to write to Indonesia to allow the visit of the UN Human Rights Commissioner to West Papua and request the UN Human Rights Commission to have their report on human rights violations in West Papua delivered in good time for the consideration of the next MSG summit in 2024. 

However, Wale said West Papuans themselves should be afforded the opportunity to express their vote on self-determination under an internationally supervised referendum.  

Based on the membership criteria set by MSG, Wale has also questioned how Caledonia’s FLNKS are measured against those. 

“It is hypocrisy to stand with New Caledonia for independence from France and then support Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua. Why the double standard?” he questioned. 

Wale said MSG Leaders need to rethink their stand and Sogavare should have maintained Solomon Islands stand on West Papua. 

The Opposition Leader said both the FLNKS and West Papuans are Melanesian peoples and both desire independence. 

He said West Papua has been under very oppressive schematic & systematic Indonesian colonial rule, far worse than anything New Caledonia has suffered and MSG Leaders know better.  

Meanwhile, Sogavare said it was during his time as MSG chair that associate membership status was granted to West Papuan leaders to become observers. 

 “The idea was to bring them into the MSG family to discuss their issues, but it did not happen,” he explained. 

“It failed miserably. As soon as MSG made some decisions, people protested in West Papua raised their flags and started talking about independence.  

“As a result, the Indonesians went there and caused human rights violations.” 

Sogavare said there are two issues that need to be strategically addressed – independence and human rights violations. 

These two issues, he said, are linked. 

 “We are concerned about human rights violations. The place to address human rights violations is the Human Rights Council.  

“We call upon them to go and inspect what’s happening there.” 

He said when it comes to the matter of independence, it is not an issue where other countries should interfere in. 

“It is an internal matter for themselves to sort. MSG leaders recognize the sovereignty of Indonesia over West Papua.”