ULMWP Interim President Benny Wenda’s December 1st Speech at Oxford Town Hall | West Papua

Below is the speech that ULMWP Interim President Benny Wenda gave at Oxford Town Hall on December 1, 2023.

In the name of Yahwe, in the name of our ancestors, in the name of bones of suffering, and in the name of all generations to come, I would like to first say a minute’s silence for all the West Papuans, past and present, who have been killed in the course of the struggle. We mourn the ten Papuans who were massacred in February by the Indonesian military. We mourn the five teenagers murdered in Yahukimo in September, and the five civilians who were killed only days before that in Fakfak.

We also remember the brave fighters and heroes of the West Papuan struggle that we lost this year. I would like you to join me in a moment of silence for our flag raisers and all other West Papuans who have passed in 2023.

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December 1st 1961 is West Papua’s Independence Day.

On this day 62 years ago, the New Guinea Council raised the Morning Star across West Papua for the first time. A new nation was being born. If Indonesia had not invaded our land, West Papua would have become the first independent Melanesian state – before Vanuatu, the Solomons, Fiji, or Papua New Guinea.

Our flag raising ceremony in 1961 was recognised by Australia, the UK, France, and the Netherlands, our former coloniser. Oxford is the rightful place to raise this flag, because the UK witnessed our original flag raising

Though our independence was stolen from us by Indonesia and the big powers, we continue to recognise and cherish 1961 as a symbol of our nation. As enshrined in our constitution, the ULMWP has always recognised all previous declarations as vital and historic moments in our struggle. This does not just include 1961, but also the OPM Independence Declaration 1971, the fourteen star declaration of West Melanesia in 1988, the Papuan People’s Congress in 2000, and the Third West Papuan Congress in 2011.

There is now a new addition to this list of milestones: the first ever ULMWP Congress, which was successfully held inside West Papua in November. Over 5000 West Papuans gathered in Jayapura to choose their leaders. Every man and woman who attended the Congress risked their lives and their freedom to defend their constitution and take ownership of their struggle.

I give my congratulations and thanks to the Congress Committee, Papuan People’s Forum, and every West Papuan who organised this historic event, particularly the landowners of the Tabi region who hosted it. The spirit of Theys Eluay, who was from the Tabi region, was present at this Congress. Thank you to our military wings, we will continue to work together to achieve our goal of a peaceful self-determination referendum. As expressed in the Congress Resolutions, we acknowledge and give thanks to the KNPB and the Alliance of Papuan Students as important elements of our fight for self-determination. I acknowledge all our affiliated organisations and all independent self-determination groups, including women’s groups and Indonesian solidarity organisations.

I was greatly honoured to have been chosen as President of the ULMWP at the Congress. Together with Prime Minister Edison Waromi, our cabinet, and seven regional Executives, we will work together according to our constitution to achieve our freedom. Our roadmap is clear and our three agendas have been endorsed by the people: A) full membership of the MSG, B) a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visit to West Papua, and C) a resolution on West Papua at the UN General Assembly.

We have our mandate given through the Congress resolutions – the first popular mandate a ULMWP leader has ever received. With this Congress, we place the West Papuan struggle directly in the hands of the people. We are implementing democracy before we have achieved independence.

As ULMWP President, I endorse all the Resolutions passed by Congress, and reaffirm the existence of the ULMWP Constitution, Cabinet, and Government structure. I also confirm that our offices in West Papua, UK, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Australia will continue to operate, with the help of our diplomatic support in those countries.

With our ULMWP government, our constitution, our cabinet and regional Executives, we are proving to the world that we are ready for independence. We are ready to govern our own affairs. We also have our Green State Vision, which was endorsed at our Congress, which will protect the rainforest that is currently being chopped and torn down by Indonesia.

Read full speech: https://www.ulmwp.org/interim-preside...