By Malia Patea-Taylor – October 22, 2016 3:28 PM , http://www.samoaplanet.com/
Samoa mo Samoa! West Papua! Why?
Samoa is no stranger to resistance. As most of us know, the Mau movement was and still is significantly a powerful Samoa, stating and standing in her rightful place of self-determination. The resistance not only released the colonial power grip – it showed that independence is achievable through unity and solidarity of Ā’iga and Nu’u, in Samoa, in the Pacific.
I ask that today we unite in solidarity with our Pacific Ocean Ā’iga, West Papua. I ask that Samoa respond in support for her independence and freedom. I ask this because West Papua is under genocide attack. This means that as you read this, her people are being tortured and killed, women and children are raped, villages are burnt to the ground and survivors are forcibly removed and displaced from their lands to undergo a military enforced operation of language and cultural assimilation. West Papua’s perpetrator is the Government of Indonesia and her business partners, the USA, Australia and the U.K
Why are they doing this? Because West Papua is a land and ocean rich resource in gold and minerals, the government of Indonesia does NOT want you to know of their genocide attack on the people so they can access the gold and minerals. They want power and control over the people so they can continue to take their land to fulfill the business contracts they have with their business partners. The Indonesian military is in all ways, the insurance security for these contracts. On a daily basis they violently remove the voice and action of independence from the people of West Papua. They don’t want us to see the pictures, and the stories of their brutality. What is happening in West Papua has been labeled the ‘forgotten war – Unwanted people.’ We know the story now because of the brave people who have escaped, so that you and I can assist them to bring these crimes against them to account. These brave men and women know that they may never enter back into their homeland while Indonesia is still in power. Their sacrifice means they may never see or hear from their ā’iga again.
So why should Samoa support? Because we know and understand first hand the struggle for independence is real and it is painful, but that also that it is absolutely achievable. We know it is West Papua today, it could be us again tomorrow, we would want the world around us to unify and help us. We know that we cannot turn a blind eye to this kind of evil. We know we have the power to resist this together as Pacific nations.
We need to continue finding out more about the West Papua struggle. We need to share the story of West Papua with our ā’iga, village, nu’u, church. Tell the Government of Samoa to support West Papua resistance, by officiating our solidarity with them (Vanuatu and other smaller island nations have already done so). We need to be vocal and seen supporters of ‘PAPUA MERDEKA’ (Free West Papua) Talk and Share! The more we share and reveal, the more pressure on Indonesia and their partners. The links below provide more information about the struggle. Stay informed. Know that when you do any of the above and more, you are actively resisting the genocide attack on West Papua people. Know that you are actively helping the people of West Papua to one day soon, become free of oppression, free of violence and be restored their rightful place as indigenous peoples of their lands. Know that as a Samoan you stand with West Papua mo West Papua!
Tulou lava
