More than just a flag

A NATIONAL flag is a sacred item that holds great significance and is the most visible symbol of statehood.
Ours designed by a school girl Susan Karike on July 1971 reflects the ideals, beliefs and values that we stand for as a nation amidst our rich and diverse cultural make-up.
It forms a crucial element of our national identity and as such, the national flag is to be treated with dignity and honour.
Likewise every flag says something and evolving as history changes.
Mozambique has an AK47 (assault rifle) on their flag signifying the struggle for independence.
It was the main weapon used in their bitter struggle.
When communism fell, eastern European countries dropped the communist symbols from their flags.
A national flag often works as a national symbol and is meant to represent a country as a whole.
We can have individual provincial flags but the national flag is the flag of all provinces at the national level.
Internationally, national flags represent their country.
For example, in the Olympics, the Star-Spangled Banner represents the US, the Union Jack represents the UK, the Red Maple Leaf represents Canada and etc. We are yet to give a name to our flag.
West Papua’s flag, The Morning Star, is flown by independence movements and supporters in many places in our country and across the world.
In prelude to our 44th Independence celebrations the West Papuan question again came to the fore as thousands of Papua New Guineans marched through Port Moresby in support of West Papuan freedom on Sept 10, 2019.
This follows weeks of protests by West Papuans, as well as unrest, in the neighbouring Indonesian-ruled territory.
Led by two prominent MPs to what is dubbed as the largest demonstration of Melanesian solidarity in the nation’s capital – the national capital governor, Powes Parkop, and Northern governor, Gary Juffa – the protesters condemned recent cases of racism towards West Papuans in Indonesian cities which sparked the wave of mobilisations across the border.
While we have the freedom of demonstration and assembly we should also understand that flying the Morning Star is seen by Indonesian authorities as advocating independence and thus challenging Indonesian sovereignty.
If PNG had to involve, then raising flag alone is not enough to the West Papuan issue, which is as old as our own independence or even goes more than 50,000 years and has confounded successive governments for many years.
PNG as an emerging leader has to reassert its position to its sub-regional affiliations such as the Melanesian Spearhead Group and Pacific Island Forum as a start.
And can become a strong voice in regional and international forums.
Its time PNG takes an affirmative role in sensitising the West Papuan question which is at many times is mistaken as a human right issue.
The West Papua is not a case of human rights violation but it is a question on decolonisation and modern day imperialism.
New Caledonia is another case of France’s modern-day imperialism.
And it won’t be necessarily military pressure as we do not match the might of Indonesia but it can be done through diplomacy.
Diplomacy has played a crucial role in the de-escalation of international crises, and PNG can fine tune its foreign policy to pursue a diplomatic cause on Pan-Melanesian freedom and liberation.

David Lepi,
Pan-Melanesia