Free West Papua campaign calls for election boycott

Transcript

The Free West Papua campaign is calling on the Papuan people to boycott this year's elections.

A campaigner, Benny Wenda, says voting in the West Papua elections, held by the Indonesian government, would only allow Indonesia's control of the province to continue.

The chair of the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, pastor Alan Nafuki, is supporting Mr Wenda's call, and told Christopher Gilbert he would prefer a referendum on self-determination.

ALAN NAFUKI: Why vote, why vote? We should against this vote in wake of our own mandate, for having the referendum for our people in West Papua.

CHRISTOPHER GILBERT: Are you aware of any candidates running in the election that are in favour of self-determination for West Papua?

AN: At this point in time I'm not aware of any names, but I do know that there will be people who will contest for this coming election in favour of our struggle, the West Papuan mandate.

CG: Well isn't it worth West Papuans voting for them?

AN: It all depends on how on the ground they will vote. As you know on the ground in West Papua they have a lot of different opinions about who they are. In Vanuatu we have a clear knowledge that a lot of our people, West Papuan people, are not united in this battle. I think they are divided in this. But the majority are going for the West Papuan's who will stand in their own destination.

CG: What will the impact on the election be if a boycott happens?

AN: The impact will be that we are telling the whole world, people from other countries, they are not satisfied with what the Indonesian government is doing. I think they would prefer to see people from other parts of the world to support them. Their right not to vote and maybe call on other nations to organise their rights and give them some recognition so that people can have some rights of their own.

CG: You would rather see a referendum?

AN: Yeah I think I would go for a referendum. I think now a lot of people are talking about a referendum, that's one option. The other one would be if they would ask other bodies, like other governments of the world to assist, by talking to them like the Vanuatu government is doing now, trying to assist the West Papuan people in the United Nations and things like that. So, people are looking at different options to carry so we will try to see how we can achieve this mandate of ours.

CG: Right, but it might require the assistance of another nation?

AN: Yeah, it would require the United Nations. We're the Vanuatu government and we're just stakeholders, like churches. People in Vanuatu, how we make this known to other people in the world, and big organisations like the United Nations.