MSG accepted Indonesia before Leaders’ Summit

MSG accepted Indonesia before Leaders’ Summit

By Ricky Binihi

The Council of Ministers meeting that was held to purposely instruct Prime Minister Sato Kilman to vote against any MSG decision to invite Indonesia was perhaps just a ploy to appease West Papua supporters outside and in government.

Yesterday after the MSG Leaders’ Summit, a statement from MSG Secretariat revealed that leaders have welcomed the formal admission of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste as Observers to the MSG.

Not only that but MSG leaders, including Prime Minister Sato Kilman “endorsed the additional participatory rights and obligations for Observers Leaders (which includes Indonesia) to participate at future meetings”.

But Daily Post has found that Indonesia was accepted as an Observer even before Prime Minister Sato Kilman and Foreign Affairs Minister George Wells left the country for Fiji to attend the MSG meetings.

A press statement issued by MSG said the Leaders of MSG “have agreed ‘out of session” to admit and grant observership to the Republic of Timor Leste and Republic of Indonesia to the MSG and also to invite Luxembourg as Special Guest at the forthcoming MSG Leaders Summit in Suva, Fiji at the end of this month (March).”

The press statement was dated March 15.

Chairman of the MSG, interim Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama confirmed that the ‘out of session’ decision by the Leaders follows the Special Meetings of the MSG Foreign Affairs Meeting and Senior Officials meeting in Nadi, Fiji earlier last month.

“The granting of Observership to Timor Leste and Indonesia is a historic moment in the young life of the MSG and we welcome our neighbours to the MSG family, in their capacity as Observers,” Bainimarama said in mid March.

The question asked by many political commentators is why PM Kilman didn’t tell Deputy Prime Minister Ham Lini, Finance Minister Moana Carcasses and Justice Minister Ralph Regenvanu, who are supporters of West Papua about the MSG decision.

Bainimarama said the decision to accept Indonesia was to be formally conveyed to Indonesia at the MSG Leaders’ Summit that was held yesterday.
An objective of the MSG when it was first set up was to be the mouth-piece for the oppressed Melanesians in the Pacific. That was why the FLNKS in New Caledonia was invited to the ground-breaking MSG talks in Goroka, Papua New Guinea in 1986.

And while leaders at the Fiji meeting yesterday reaffirmed MSG’s commitment to preserve, promote, safeguard and protect Melanesian traditional cultural identity, customs and values; and support the people of Kanaky origin in regards to the revival, preservation, protection and promotion of ownership of their cultural identity, traditional knowledge and expressions of culture, values, and customs, not a single word about Melanesians in West Papua was included.

ENDS

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