Lae's West Papua community joined in celebrating Papua New Guinea's 46th Independence at the PNG University of Technology yesterday

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John Lanta, a leader of the community and staff member of the university said their culture is slowly dying because they've been away from home for many years. 

"West Papuans who live abroad, especially in PNG are so thankful and honoured that we are being invited to special events, especially Independence Day for PNG. It's a big thing for us...it's touching because our people have been fighting for independence for 52 years and we are still waiting."

Mr. Lanta's parents fled from West Papua in 1967 and settled in Papua New Guinea in 1969. This is a story similar to that of many other West Papuans who have now made Papua New Guinea home. 

"Our parents told us about our customs, traditional stories, practices, so we try to keep that alive while we are in exile."

While congratulating Papua New Guinea on 46 years of independence, Mr Lanta said he hopes that one day the West Papuan dream of independence, becomes a reality.

#westpapua #lae #independenceday #celebrations

Good morning to you on the last day of 2021

2021 will go down in our history as one of our darkest. 

I feel I owe the nation an apology. I acted in good faith to humbly resign in May 2019 thinking that the change that was asked for would be youthful and move us forward faster than my government could.

I have, like you, been bitterly disappointed in the performance of the Marape led Government over the last 31 months.

I am sorry to have not fully understood the cargo cult mentality; lack of common sense and absence of integrity that now identifies the Marape Government. I have been surprised at how fast they have managed to undo years of hard work of not just my government, but those that came before me. 

Economically we are in one heck of a mess with debt at over K51 billion and no plan to increase income except to tax our people more.

Socially, crime and violence in our capital and the regions is out of control. The law is routinely abused and manipulated for political gain.

Corruption, nepotism, and greed is worse not better and our economic, health and social unrest has made us a laughingstock in the region.

It is with deep regret that I now look back on what has transpired since May 2019. Marape has consistently shown a lack of moral courage; decisiveness and leadership.

However, with the New Year upon us it is time to look forward.

We have much to be proud of – our culture is one of the world’s most vibrant and evolving still; our country is blessed with natural resources more than adequate to meet our needs; we are gifted to have a democratic system of Government in the Commonwealth and our neighbours are peaceful. 

Our prospects could not be better. 

We saw during APEC in 2018 how the World’s largest economies responded to our potential. Opening up new ways of doing business with old and new trading partners and billions of Kina flooded in to help our country access electricity; digitize and evolve but we have failed since then to capitalise on these development opportunities.

There really is nothing to stop us reaching our potential but ourselves.

But 2021 will go down not as a year of moving forward but of rapidly going backwards. 

In a few short months the reign of this Marape led Government will pause, and you will have your chance to vote for a better future. You have my commitment to lead a team of candidates, both experienced campaigners and fresh faces, to rebuild Papua New Guinea and set forth once again to living up to our incredible potential.

We are all looking forward to a brighter 2022. I am confident it will be a year of positive change – we must fight for our children and for PNG.

Happy New Year and stay Safe

God Bless

Melanesian Style va Western Style of Development

The difference .................. PNGeans feel inferior when confronted with the realities of a village boy making it big as an educated elite holding positions of power and "high set" social life and privileges of high rental accommodation etc. It all hits home when the climb to this life style changes abruptly. Reality hits home and you come home to your humble beginnings of the hamlet and the old tracks that you trod some years ago. How do we change that to bring foreigners with high living standards to our humble villages to the same life style found in the urban centres? We change our planning process. Plan for "villages to urban centres". The landowner is then empowered to change for the better. This is another way of viewing my post of 18th December, 2021. I cannot pretend, lets look at development from our own experiences. Why bring outsiders whom do not know how to be a Melenesian to plan for Melenesian ADVANCEMENT! God placed man on land and blessed him, NOT MONEY! PERIOD.

Vanuatu opposition calls for engagement with New Caledonia loyalists

Vanuatu's opposition leader is calling for engagement with New Caledonia's anti-independence side.

New Caledonia last week narrowly rejected independence from France, but a third referendum is likely in 2022.

Ralph Regenvanu, who is a staunch advocate for decolonisation in the region, says New Caledonia is Vanuatu's closest neighbour and home to the largest group of ni-Vanuatu abroad.

He says New Caledonia's independence is the goal of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, for which it was set up.

"We also need to convince the anti-independence lobby that New Caledonia can be a viable state in the Pacific like the other states in the Pacific," he said.

"I know that the anti-independence lobby in New Caledonia often likes to point over to Vanuatu and say 'look, you could become like that if you become independent'.

"For us, it is quite amusing because we think we have got a very good development model happening here," Regenvanu said.0

Joint Statement at the conclusion of the Joint Supervisory Body Meeting

The governments of PNG and Bougainville today concluded the Joint Supervisory Body Meeting in Port Moresby. 

Prime Minister James Marape and President Ishmael Toroama affirmed to work within the spirit and intentions of the Bougainville Peace Agreement.  

The two leaders further reaffirmed their commitment to the jointly agreed timeframe that has been set to find a lasting solution for Bougainville. 

Among key agreements reached today, the leaders tabled the Joint Statement that was agreed to in the Joint Consultations meeting yesterday. 

The leaders endorsed the Joint Consultations Statement and directed that both governments’ technical teams will work together to ensure its effective implementation as per the Wabag Roadmap. 

Other key agendas discussed in the meeting today include the implementation of the Sharp Agreement and other outstanding financial matters. 

The two leaders also noted the recurring agendas that have remain unresolved for a number of years such as the fisheries, BCL shares and the Restoration and Development Grant, and directed the technical teams to ensure that these matters are resolved immediately at the administrative level. 

The leaders agreed that the next meeting of the Joint Supervisory Body will be held in March 2022 in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. 

Following the meeting, the two leaders jointly launched the Bougainville Socio-Economic Baseline Survey Report.

The Baseline Survey Report is an activity led jointly by the ABG and National Department of Commerce, and provides the government with complete data on Bougainville’s current socio-economic situation, and proposes policy interventions for the government to implement going forward. 

Ends...///

PNG did not to learn from mìstake on BCL. Foreign ownership of Gold Refinery is wrong

Bougainville crises erupted due to failure by PNG government to give priority to rightful resouce owners by nature but landowners by cut and paste foreign laws.

Provicial governments and landowners were made spectators in their own land without participating in the development and benefit sharing of their own gold and copper. 

PNG government adapted a foreign law to deal with our gold and copper mining which favours the foreigners and citizens were made to suffer from the sideline.

Gold Refinery does not need a rocket scientist to develop a refinery. There was partly a state own gold refinery company known as MRO in operations, other PNGians have already been into the business. 

We commend the Marape government's vision to set up a refinery and save our gold bullion. Refinery should be owned by state in partners with nationals who are already into the refinery business. 

We already have gold refinery in PNG, the only new thing is saving gold bullion as reserve at Central Bank of PNG. 

Politicians should not be misleading PNG for their personal interest making side deals. Citizens wake up and say no to foreign ownership of Gold Refinery. We cannot sell our country cheaply to foreigners and be slaves to them in our own country.

If government is not careful in her dealings to do something with our resources and businesses with foreigners, other Provinces will follow the precedent set by Bougainville. PNG will be divided nation, creating many small nations out of PNG.

Vanuatu's Shefa province recognises West Papua government

 anuatu's Shefa province is recognising Benny Wenda as the interim president of a provisional West Papuan government.

In a country that has historically been the most vocal in support of West Papuan self-determination rights, Shefa province is the first authority in the country to officially recognise an independent West Papua government.

Wenda, a West Papuan pro-independence activist who fled persecution in his homeland under Indonesian control, was granted asylum in the United Kingdom in 2003.

A year ago, as the head of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, Wenda announced that it was forming a 'Provisional Government' of West Papua, with him as the interim president.

Shefa's recognition of that government was announced by the Secretary General of Shefa provincial government, Morris Kaloran, to mark the 60th aniversary of West Papua's declaration of independence which was soon overshadowed by a controversial US-brokered agreement which paved the way for Indonesia to take control of Papua.

Kaloran said the ULMWP Provincial Government and its Interim President were the legitimate representatives of the people of West Papua and their struggle.

In a symbolic gesture, Shefa province had already adopted the indigenous Melanesian people of West Papua and their struggle for self determination and liberation from Indonesian rule.

"The destiny of our two Melanesian peoples of West Papua and Vanuatu is joined. The West Papuan people remain enslaved and colonised in 21st century, subject to discrimination, assassination and military operations," Kaloran said.

"Their gallant freedom struggle, under the guidance and leadership of the ULMWP Provisional Government, is moving ever closer to victory. Until the people of West Papua are, no one in Melanesia is free."

Hundreds of ni-Vanuatu, and West Papuan representatives, march for West Papuan independence in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila. Photo: Joe Collins

Indonesia's government opposes the ULMWP's claims to represent West Papuans, saying the people of the Papuan provinces of Indonesia have democratic rights like other people in the republic.

Both Indonesia and the ULMWP have been granted membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group, whose full members Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia's Kanaks have expressed a wish for Jakarta to engage in dialogue with West Papuans about their grievances.

Source: RNZ