Natuman congratulates Wenda on election
\n By Len Garae Feb 9, 2024 <\/p>\n
Former Prime Minister Mr. Joe Natuman (left) congratulates President Benny Wenda (right) while former first President Mr. George Sokomanu cements the handshake with his presence
\nBy Len Garae<\/p>\n
A former Prime Minister (PM), Mr. Joe Natuman whose Government had funded the first arrival of West Papua delegates to unite under the umbrella of the Malvatumauri National Council of Chiefs, to give breath to the first ever United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) anywhere outside West Papua, has congratulated the Interim President of ULMWP, Mr. Benny Wenda, on his unanimous election by over 5,000 delegates from the seven Regions of West Papua to his present status as their President.<\/p>\n
The President was mandated by over 5,000 of his indigenous West Papuans on his current roadmap during the first ULMWP Congress in Jayapura from November 20 to 23 last year.<\/p>\n
In his words of gratitude, Mr. Wenda thanked the former PM as well as the country\u2019s former first President, Mr. George Sokomanu and all other original leaders in the audience who under the late Father Walter Lini, had kept the fire burning by fanning the flame for freedom of all remaining Melanesian countries to become free from the most hated word \u201ccolonialism\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mr. Wenda thanked the chiefs, churches and Government and people for their steadfast stand for the freedom of West Papua.<\/p>\n
Speaking with more confidence this time on his latest visit, Mr. Wenda spoke of Melanesian power of light at the end of the tunnel for eventual West Papua freedom.<\/p>\n
He said through the unfailing support from the people of Vanuatu, as the President of West Papua, he is already feeling the burden of weight on his shoulders begin to shift towards brighter days coming for his people and country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is why while I am here, it is a moral duty for all of us Melanesian leaders to wake up to educate the rest of the Melanesian people now while there is still time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have all our sovereign documents including our Constitution to lead us to achieve our freedom.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world must trust us and Pacific Leaders must trust us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are ready to take our destiny in our hands to govern our own affairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWest Papua freedom is Melanesian freedom. As long as West Papua continues to suffer, Melanesia also suffers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tears of West Papua are still dropping. That is why I am pleading with you to continue to see eye to eye with us.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrime Minister Edison Waromi and I are handing over our Melanesian struggle to you chiefs and people of Vanuatu because our struggle is your struggle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you SHEFA Provincial Government for adopting West Papua. I am now at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have come home to the nakamal of West Papua\u201d.<\/p>\n
The President said West Papua is a land filled with milk and honey but that somebody else is stealing its wealth.<\/p>\n
Standing in the SHEFA Matnapuka Chamber, the President said with its adoption by Shefa, his country is prepared to share its milk and honey.<\/p>\n
He described their adoption by Shefa Province as a long term commitment.<\/p>\n
He called on Vanuatu and Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) to allow ULMWP full membership in line with the Melanesian spirit of oneness.<\/p>\n
In his remarks, Mr. Natuman confirmed, \u201cWhen I was Prime Minister, we funded the biggest West Papua delegates to come to Port Vila where ULMWP was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Father Lini was Prime Minister, we set up a similar body for New Caledonia called FLNKS. With the formation of ULMWP, we succeeded in setting up the second mechanism to achieve the same goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Benny Wenda, I warmly congratulate you on your election.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am glad that your own people in West Papua have given you this mandate.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me add by saying that the Indonesians were colonised by the Japanese so basically it was a Japanese hangover which Jakarta adopted to introduce into West Papua.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Natuman reminded President Wenda of the importance of unity.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnity is the key. We in Vanuatu were united through unity. We conquered the Santo rebellion and achieved our sovereignty and sent Britain and France to pack up and leave quickly,\u201d he said.
\nSOURCE :https:\/\/www.dailypost.vu\/news\/natuman-congratulates-wenda-on-election\/article_78b123f4-237c-553d-8d12-728d9dd525e4.html?fbclid=IwAR3lKSti2j4qX9ArUsCwEK5h9giTH1Q3hPC8q2vjBG9WyJfdsqO4ke2MSzU<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Natuman congratulates Wenda on election By Len Garae Feb 9, 2024 Former Prime Minister Mr. Joe Natuman (left) congratulates President Benny Wenda (right) while former first President Mr. George Sokomanu cements the handshake with his presence By Len Garae A former Prime Minister (PM), Mr. Joe Natuman whose Government had funded the first arrival of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2069,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-melanesia-roundup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2067"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2070,"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067\/revisions\/2070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infopapua.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}