Republic of West Papua

The Republic of West Papua is a separatist-proposed state lead by Benny Wenda that would give empty hope to the people of Western New Guinea (the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua).

The Republic of West Papua was never declared even during the period of the withdrawal of the Dutch in 1963, but the act of free choice decided by West Papuan leaders to integrate to Indonesia

On July the 1st, 1971, after the free referendum held by the United Nations, the separatist Free Papua Movement unsuccessfully tried to proclaim Republic of West Papua again.

On 14 December 1984 the Republic of Great Melanesia or Melanesia Raya was self proclaimed, and no countries in the world recognize it. The Fourteen Stars Flag of the Great Melanesia which was created by Nicolaas jouwe hoisted.

The Great Melanesia conceptor and Proclamator Dr. Thomas Wapai Waiggai was arrested for instigating great communal conflict, and sentenced to 20 years in prison, shared the cell at Cipinang Prison in Jakarta with East Timor’s Fretilin Leader Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão. He died in prison within two years, suspected to be poisoned (if this accusation true, under Indonesian law, the case should be reopened for justice). There is no such law to punish people to death only because of treason act, especially if it is only flying flag (it might happened during the military autocratic system in Indonesia).

Unclear concept of “tribal democracy” has been proposed by Benny Wenda of the Koteka Tribal Assembly Council or Demmak (Dewan Musyawarah Masyarakat Adat Koteka) and Koteka tribes to get political power over 250 different ethnic groups in Papua. However, Benny Wenda failed and joined his brother Mathias Wenda (Free Papua Army) to terrorize West Papua people.

Benny Wenda all togetehr with the Free Papua Army failed to get support from the people, sohe tried something more attractive by killing a security officer and then blame it to the Police. He was arrested and then he could manage to run by the help of corrupt prison officers.

Demmak which was established in 1999, as a confederation of Koteka Tribes, united and organised under a General Assembly Council. Sem Karoba one of Benny Wenda’s followers says, “Tribal Democracy for West Papua is not a new idea or concept at all. It is just the written explanation and presentation of the existing system of governance that already exist in West Papua and Melanesia in general since the time immemorial, practiced daily even today.” Karoba just tries to formulate the tribal system of governance and making it presentable and understandable to the world’s democratic society. In other words, tribal democracy is a tool of controlling different ethnic groups by cooptation and in reality there is no freedom at all.

The real democracy was introduced in West Papua after the reform movement in Indonesia 1998. Now West Papua and Papua provinces of Indonesia are managed by West Papuan leaders choosen by the people through the process of fair and open election.

Why then I am talking about Republic of West Papua? It is simply to remind all Papuan people and the world that there are many dangerous people like Benny Wenda who always talk about the rights of West Papuan, but actually he doesn’tt care which way is the best for West Papuan. All he cares is only to get power, money and sympathy, so he could survive in his difficult time in the United Kingdom.