PAPUA - The Spokesperson for the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), Sebby Sambom, firmly stated that the diplomatic process to achieve Papuan independence will never be born out of a calm or peaceful situation.
According to him, international negotiations can only be realized through pressure that forces the Indonesian government. He emphasized that all elements in Papua, ranging from the TPNPB, civil organizations, human rights workers, to churches, must massively activate their respective roles to drive Indonesia to the negotiating table.
In his statement, Sebby Sambom revealed a strategy he referred to as the creation of three main crises to accelerate the independence process.
He argued that without a real crisis, international attention would not be fully focused on Papua. He detailed these crises to include a humanitarian crisis, an economic crisis, and a development crisis as instruments to force the involvement of the United Nations (UN).
"Negotiations cannot be born just fine. Negotiations can be born, it must be forced. In Papua, three crises must be born, namely Human Crisis, Economic Crisis, and Development Crisis. So if we want independence, we ourselves must create those crises so that we can force the UN to enter," said Sebby Sambom in his statement.
Furthermore, Sebby criticized the slow movement of Papuan diplomats abroad, whom he assessed do not yet have a strong bargaining position in the international eyes.
He compared the diplomatic work with the military strength of the TPNPB, which he believes has a higher bargaining value because it is capable of creating real situations on the ground.
Sebby also touched upon the loyalty of the Papuan people, who according to him, internally still desire independence, even though administratively they are still under the auspices of Indonesia.
"These Papuan people, their clothes are Indonesia, their mouths are Indonesia, but their hearts are independent Papua. This means it is our collective responsibility if we want independence quickly by creating those three crises. The goal is that the TPN has directed everything, it's just a matter of waiting for the time when the total revolution begins," Sebby asserted.
He closed his statement by providing a sharp spotlight on national and international media. Sebby claimed that the international world does not view his organization as terrorists, referring to reports from major news agencies such as the Associated Press and Reuters that use the terminology TPNPB.
He requested journalists in Indonesia to be more professional and credible in covering the conflict that has lasted for six decades, as well as to recognize the existence of the TPNPB's struggle in the eyes of the world. ***