Saturday, September 23, 2017

BREAKING NEWS: VANUATU PM UN SPEECH AIMS AT RE-DRAWING INTERNATIONAL BORDERS

At the United Nations, PM of Vanuatu questioned legitimacy of long-recognized international borders

22 September 2017
New York, United States
ABCMelanesia


PM Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas of Vanuatu addresses the general debate of the UNGA 72nd session, 22 September 2017

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has been given a lecture by Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas, the prime minister of Vanuatu a South Pacific nation of 250,000 people.

In a move rarely seen in the centre of global diplomacy, PM Tabimasmas gave a forceful speech in which he questioned the legitimacy of internationally recognized borders in the Pacific region. 

On the grounds of alleged abuses of rights, he demanded the international community to band together to break West Papua from Indonesia

West Papua and Papua are two provinces of Indonesia that historically has been administered by the Majapahit Kingdom in the 13th century that ruled most of what is now Indonesia. In 1969, the United Nations reaffirmed West Papua as part of Indonesia.

He called the international community to "..put an end to all forms of violence and find common ground with the nationals to facilitate putting together a process which will enable them to freely express their choice".

A political analyst observed that:

"The Vanuatu PM failed to mention that West Papua exercises free, fair and open democracy recognized by the international community of nations. About 2.7 million voters routinely elect MPs and governments."

The Vanuatu PM, who has faced numerous votes of no confidence since taking office in February 2016, has often spoken about the concept of "Melanesian brotherhood" and his dream of uniting all Melanesian countries into one nation. Countries that has significant Melanesian population includes Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, New Caledonia, PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

South Pacific political analysts view the PM's words in the UN chamber are dangerous to the stability of the region. Joanne Wallis, an Australian analyst, has spoken of the "arc of instability" of the South Pacific.

Applying the same logic that the Vanuatu PM uses, along the lines of race (Melanesia) and human rights, other countries in the region are also threatened.

That twisted logic dictates that the Aboriginal people of Australia should be an independent nation. Bounganville in PNG and Kanak of New Caledonia should be independent. The thinking encourages for the merging of all Melanesian-populated countries into one nation by hook or by crook.

Manasseh Sogavare, the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands is using the same logic as Tabimasmas. 


"When Vanuatu speaks about re-drawing legitimate international borders like in the case of West Papua, all it does is stokes dangerous tensions and insecurity in the region." concluded the analyst.



A screen shot of Vanuatu Daily Post headline on the defection of MPs of Government of PM Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas

PM Tabimasmas has faced corruption scandals, defections, mutiny, serious health-scare and votes of no confidence. Lecturing the community of nations is much easier than delivering good government and services for the people of Vanuatu. 


ABCMelanesia

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