Transcript
VICTOR YEIMO: We want them to vote yes for the upcoming referendum, because there is no future for them if they're still together with France. As you know, they have big natural resources over there, and the French they have a big propaganda that they want to have an affirmation action to the people of France, like in education and health etc. But it's colonial propaganda, they have to realise that. It's the same thing in West Papua where Indonesia tries to provocate people, making lies, propaganda, making black propaganda to the people, give false hope to the people that Indonesia is truly developing West Papua. This is not true. That is why we want them to choose yes for their independence. So if they choose independence, then they can become a nation and they can manage their nations by themselves. If they can become a nation, they can strengthen the Melanesian Spearhead group, together with other (Melanesian) sisters and b rothers, and they can support our aim for freedom too.
JOHNNY BLADES: The fact that France has allowed for a referendum to take place, isn't that a good thing to start with?
VY: Yeah I think firstly it's a good thing. France should know about the spirit of decolonisation. They have to give the opportunity for the Kanak people to develop their country by themselves. If they can give them feedom, it means the process of decolonisation is final. The referendum is not final if people, under the French provocation, still choose to stay with France, it doesn't mean that it's already final. But the struggle of the Kanak people is still going on, and all the solidarity from Melanesian people will fight with them. But it's good. Democratically, it was good of France to realise that they give the space for the people of Kanaky to choose what they want for their future. But in Indonesia, we can't do that, because Indonesian colonialism is not like European colonialism, like they didn't know about democracy.
JB: Do you see many parallels between Kanaky and West Papua?
VY: Yeah I think we have the same spirit to decolonise all the nations still under colonisation in the Pacific. The second thing is, the difference between the Kanak and West Papua is about the vote. In West Papua, we were never allowed to have a referendum in West Papua. There is no referendum in West Papua. But Indonesia and the Netherlands, they have an agreement (1962's New York Agreement) that never allowed the people of West Papua to agree about the referendum in West Papua. That's the difference between Kanak and West Papua.
JB: Papuans have the right to vote for their leaders within the structure of Indonesia. But this is not what you're talking about, right?
VY: That's right. There is a difference between this and the right to self-determination. People were already colonised by Indonesia and people were forced by them to choose under the Indonesian system, in accordance to the election. This is different, we're talking about the territory, dignity, we're talking about a nation. Our demand is already under international law. But this is the problem, West Papuans, we're still fighting for that. Until now, our political right is still being used by the Indonesians to strengthen their nation, their country. But what we want here is for our political right to be solved in a referendum. So we want Indonesia to do the same as France. They have to follow the referendum as a mechanism of democracy in the whole world. I just want to tell something to the people of Kanaky (New Caledonia), to please choose yes for your future. Because if you don't choose yes for your future, it means you allow your people, your land to be extinct. Our people in West Papua will all support you to choose yes, so you can become a nation, a freedom nation.