Jayapura – West Papua National Committee (KNPB) spokesperson Ones Suhuniap says that the KNPB is committed to continuing the struggle and resistance against Indonesian colonialism by peaceful and dignified means.
"In 2022, we will continue resisting by peaceful and dignified means to reject all forms of violence and crimes. To open peaceful space in order to resolve the roots of the Papua problem", Suhuniap told Suara Papua on December 28 last year in Jayapura city, Papua.
Suhuniap explained that the struggle of the Papuan nation to escape from Indonesian colonialism is in the hands of the Papuan nation. So the KNPB will be with the people of the Papuan nation in resisting and struggling for the future of the Papuan nation so that it can be free from Indonesian occupation and colonialism.
"There is no other way to escape from Indonesian oppression, occupation and colonialism in West Papua except by the ordinary Papuan people themselves rising up and fighting for themselves and their nation", he asserted.
Suhuniap is calling on all components of the people and the Papuan nation to listen to each other, unite and advance to strengthen the mutual struggle for the Papuan nation's future.
He is also calling on the Papuan nation to see and oppose the theft of their land, the environment, economic rights, the right to education, the right to health and their political rights.
"We call on all the people of the West Papua nation to build a political force and refuse to submit to the colonialists. The KNPB will be alongside the people of the Papua nation in their struggle", he said.
Furthermore, the people of the Papua nation must be aware that the motherland inherited from our ancestors is being stolen, robbed and taken over by the colonialists, and must take a position and stand of resisting all forms of oppression and colonialism.
"We are all aware that the land inherited from our ancestors is occupied by colonialists who oppress and colonise us. This demonstrates that we are finished, we are vanishing consciously and slowly in our own country", he said.
In addition to this, said Suhuniap, after occupying us and pursuing a colonialist program in the land of West Papua, the Indonesian colonial government continues to send troops, continues to carry out military operations and kill innocent civilians.
"Not only that. All the time they are killing the civilian owners of the land of Papua. They are also occupying and colonising. Sending troops in huge numbers. Then labeling the Papuan people as terrorists when we fight for our self-respect and to defend our country from the (Indonesian) colonialists. We must rise up, unite and resist", he reiterated.
Suhuniap added that the KNPB is the people of the Papuan nation. So the KNPB will continue to mobilise with and fight alongside the people.
"The people are the KNPB and the KNPB are the people. We will continue to mobilise together with the people to retake our rights for as long as it takes. The Indonesian colonial government must understand that we are not fighting to forcibly take away the rights inherited from the ancestors of the nations of Java, Batak, Sulawesi and so forth. This motherland is owned wholly by the Papuan nation. Not the Javanese nation. So we are struggling and fighting to retake the rights and inheritance of our ancestors which have been stolen by Indonesian colonialism", asserted Suhuniap.
The KNPB, said Suhuniap, is with the people of the Papuan nation in fighting by peaceful and dignified means. In 2022 the struggle must be continued as an agenda of the people and a priority agenda for every single Papuan person.
"The aim is to immediately restore ourselves, our families, ethnic groups and the Papuan nation. Restore ourselves before the God Jesus, so that he can lead the body of the Papua nation to freedom from oppression by other countries which are possessed by evil powers", he said.
Suhuniap also hopes that Indonesia will repent and acknowledge its crimes against the Papuan nation and allow the Papuan nation to determine its own future.
"So aside from the Papuan people as individuals from their respective families, ethnic groups and nation restoring themselves before God, [we] urge Indonesia restore itself from its historical crimes and evil intent at this time", he concluded.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Jubir KNPB: Kami akan Teruskan Perlawanan dengan Damai dan Bermartabat".]
