This month of September has been a big disappointment in the leadership of my country of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It started with the one upmanship with the Governor of Guam over convicted felons. Then the FSM was missing from the Sept. 7th meeting in Honolulu of the Pacific Coalition on West Papua (PCWP) to advocate for West Papua people’s self-determination.
This week FSM President Peter Christian spoke on the largest global stage at the United Nations. As expected, President Christian jumped on the diplomatic bandwagon with the United States, North Korea, Colombia, in condemning global terrorism, anti-refugees sentiments, and of course climate change. Yet he failed to say a single word condemning Indonesia for its violation of human rights in West Papua…terrorism closer to home. In contrast, Marshall Islands’ President Hilda Heine (hear speech at 16:23), Nauru’s President Baron Divavesi Waqa (hear speech at 11:20), and four other Pacific leaders including Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu condemned Indonesia’s alleged atrocities against our brothers and sisters in West Papua.
I call on His Excellency President Peter Christian to join the Pacific Coalition on West Papua and the Free West Papua Movement in condemning Indonesia’s human rights violation in West Papua. Micronesia may be “small” in name, but our collective heart as a nation for justice must be bigger than global greed.
