Juffa plans to push for bill to separate region

National

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
Northern Governor Gary Juffa says he will push for a bill in the Parliament to call for Pacific leaders to separate the region from the overall Asia-Pacific region.
He said this on Thursday during the West Papua forum in Port Moresby.
National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop and officers from the United States Embassy and Australian High Commission also attended.
Juffa said the Pacific region had to be separate from Asia in order to gain international attention for human rights abuses against people of West Papua Province of Indonesia.
“I will be calling for the other 21 governors to push in the National Parliament for all Pacific leaders to call for our own Pacific region at an international forum,” he said.
“Right now we are in the Asia-Pacific region. Issues in Asia get the prominence while issues in the Pacific are being brushed aside”.
Parkop said Bougainville in PNG and West Papua in Indonesia faced similar political futures.
“We should not be afraid of Bougainville choosing their future in the referendum that will be held this year, just like Indonesia should not be afraid of West Papuans determining their own future,” he said.
“We should not be afraid if Bougainville chooses independence,
“They will not move the island of Bougainville to Europe or another place in the world.
“They will still be there.
“We are all inter-married now.
“There are family and tribal relationships been bonded already.
“We might have a better future because if you look at the history of PNG, because of Bougainville, we were political and economically shaped.”
Parkop said the same message must be told to Indonesia.
“Indonesian must know that if West Papua becomes independent, they will not move the land to the United States,” he said.
“They will still stay there.
“The people speak Bahasa.
“They are intermarriages already been forged and established with people from other parts of Indonesia.
“Economically, they can be integrated.
“Socially, they can still move around in Indonesia.”

One thought on “Juffa plans to push for bill to separate region

  • Well said and I for one agree with that..They all deserve their freedom just like what we had back in 1975.. Hon. Gary Juffa, you are the man..God be with you always..

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