UPNG students . . . marching to Parliament today in protest over offensive comments. Image: Scott Waide/RNZ Pacific
By Scott Waide
Students at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) marched to Parliament House in in the capital Port Moresby today in protest over offensive comments made by Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko.
Tkatchenko was responding to a public backlash over a TikTok video — depicting luxury travel and high end shopping — posted by his daughter, Savannah, during a taxpayer-funded trip to King Charles III’s coronation in London.
His comments have been condemned by PNG’s opposition leaders, but Prime Minister James Marape said Tkatchenko had apologised for his comments. Marape has asked people to forgive the minister.
University students began gathering today around a banner hoisted outside the campus and began marching to Parliament.
“It is not just about the offensive comments,” UPNG student Michael Pais said.
“The primary reason is the manner in which money has been spent on this trip and the extravagance displayed while our people lack the most basic services,” he said.
‘Blatant disrespect’
“The minister’s response shows a blatant disrespect for PNG.”
The Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress (PNGTUC) held a news conference this afternoon and issued a strong statement calling for Tktchenko’s removal as foreign minister.
“We will not accept the apology given to the Prime Minister [Marape],” Police Union president Lowa Tambua said.
“It is not a matter for the Prime Minister to decide if we should forgive [and] forget. It is a matter for the 10 million people of this country to decide,” he added.
Earlier, the PNG Post-Courier’s Miriam Zarriga today reported that former metropolitan police commander Andy Bawa had confirmed he was putting together necessary documents in response to opposition spokesperson Belden Namah’s call for Tkatchenko’s resignation and the stripping of his PNG nationality.
Bawa said he would make a formal complaint.
“The media will be advised,” he added.
Scott Waide is RNZ Pacific’s PNG correspondent. This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
UPNG students are not happy with Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko calling Papua New Guineans “primitive animals”. Image: Scott Waide/RNZ Pacific
"Sack him!" call over PNG's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko. Image: PNG Post-Courier screenshot APR
By Caleb Fotheringham
Papua New Guinea’s opposition has called on Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko to resign after calling critics of his trip to London for King Charles’ coronation “primitive animals”.
Minister Tkatchenko made the comment on ABC when addressing critics of his daughter’s TikTok video about attending the coronation in London last week.
The Prime Minister has waded into the controversy by saying he was offended by the comments, but has asked people to forgive his minister.
Tkatchenko has now reportedly apologised through the PM, James Marape.
The video — tagged #aussiesinengland — showed Savannah Tkatchenko enjoying expensive meals and going to first class airport lounges.
“We did some shopping around Singapore Airport at Hermes and Louis Vuitton, those of you who know, Singapore Airport shopping is honestly so lit,” she said in the video which she has since taken down.
Your just confidently enjoying all the shit your father steals aren’t you? #PNGtwitter come na lukim government sponsored ol influencer blo nau. pic.twitter.com/AlEjf0agjU
Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Belden Namah said he was “calling on the Foreign Affairs Minister to confirm or deny that he uttered those descriptions of citizens of Papua New Guinea which has been kind enough to offer him naturalised citizenship”.
“If he has indeed uttered those despicable words then I am calling on Justin Tkatchenko to immediately resign as Foreign Affairs Minister and as Member of Parliament and further renounce his citizenship,” Namah said in a written statement.
“The ‘useless people’ and ‘primitive animals’ of this country have ensured he grew his business, gave him a wife, offered him citizenship, elected him into public office, made him a minister and sent him and his daughter to London.”
Tkatchenko is originally from Melbourne and was naturalised as a Papua New Guinean citizen in 2006.
Namah was also critical of the TikTok video and said it revealed the “disregard for Papua New Guineans” that the minister must have “inculcated in his family”.
“The name of the video says it all: #aussiesinengland. Send them to Australia if that is who they are.”
‘Very offensive to many people’ RNZ Pacific’s correspondent Scott Waide said the words “primitive” and “animals” were offensive slurs in PNG.
“Sack him!” call over PNG’s Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko . . . how the PNG Post-Courier reported the furore today. Image: PNG Post-Courier screenshot APR
“They [the public] were annoyed with the TikTok video by his daughter and now the fact that the foreign minister has gone on the media and responded in that manner has been very offensive to many people.”
Waide said there was talk of a protest and pressure was mounting by the hour against Tkatchenko.
He said the video showed Savannah was out of touch with the realities of Papua New Guinea.
“The fact that the foreign minister’s daughter was allowed on an official trip and she was able to flaunt the expenses that were made on that trip has triggered quite a few people.”
The Commonwealth Students Association’s Pacific regional representative, Dr Bradley Yombon, said the comments were “disgusting”.
“He should hang his head in shame, apologise and not only apologise, but hand in his resignation as the Foreign Affairs Minister,” he said.
“He’s just thrown a blanket over all of Papua New Guinea and he’s not a native of Papua New Guinea which makes the situation a lot worse . . . we’ve obviously got him into office, he should be grateful, and represent us to the best of his capacity.”
Minister ‘apologised to PM’
In a written statement Prime Minister Marape said Tkatchenko had apologised to himself and the country.
The Prime Minister said he was also offended by Tkatchenko’s comments but pleaded with the public to forgive him.
“We should not be labelling our citizens as ‘primitive animals’ even if they have wronged us,” he said.
“We are a unique blend of ethnic diversities, and as Christians, we can forgive each other.”
According to Human Rights Watch almost 40 percent of the country lives in poverty.
“Nobody’s come out and said anything about the exact number of people or how much they’ve actually spent,” said Waide.
According to the the Post-Courier, in 2021 the government sent a 62-member delegation to Glasgow to attend the COP26 Climate Change conference at a cost of K5.8 million (NZ$2.6 million).
Caleb Fotheringham is a RNZ Pacific journalist. This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest assault on Gaza is a well-worn strategy among Israeli politicians to manufacture unity during times of internal strife.
In the early morning hours on Tuesday, May 9, Israeli occupation forces launched a brutal military attack on the Gaza Strip, killing 15 people including three leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ), four children, and four women.
Israeli forces reported that a total of 40 warplanes participated in the targeted assassination campaign that lasted about two hours.
Israeli media outlets also indicated that the military operation may continue for a few days, with Prime Minister Netanyahu promising on Wednesday a “broader campaign” and “severe blows against Gaza”.
It is clear that Israel’s latest attack, which Ha’aretz reports was “meticulously planned in advance”, targets everyone in Gaza. The kill list, including “the distinct possibility of civilians being killed alongside them”, was “vetted and approved by legal advisers”.
Despair and anger in Gaza Feelings of despair and anger persist in Gaza, as the population continues to live under the constant threat of bombs. According to Palestinian health officials, the death toll in Gaza has risen to at least 24 — including five women and five children, with 64 more injured, due to Israel’s recent aggression.
Netanyahu believes he can end the judicial crisis by rallying Zionist unity against an external threat.
The attacks on Gaza came despite an Egypt-brokered ceasefire agreement last August between Israel and Islamic Jihad, with support from UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process Tor Wennesland.
Since Tuesday, there have been some popular demands for response and revenge, while others fear yet another horrific war on the besieged Strip, where civilians remain in the eye of the storm.
Israel’s assault on Gaza indicates that Israel does not respect agreements and flouts international law. It appears that Israeli leaders are moving forward with their right-wing and racist agenda which seeks to “resolve” the conflict by force.
By reviving Israel’s brutal targeted assassinations policy, Netanyahu seeks to restore the image of deterrence that was cracked due to the resurgence of popular resistance movements in Gaza and the West Bank.
Netanyahu aims to preserve the ruling right-wing coalition, especially after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir continued to threaten his party’s boycott of weekly Israeli cabinet meetings “until he is given ‘significant influence’ over national security policy”.
Protests inside Israel Knowing this could lead to the government’s fracture, including a failure to approve the annual budget and therefore push early elections that could lead to his toppling, Netanyahu, whose popularity has declined significantly in favour of Benny Gantz and his National Unity party, has chosen to shift the focus to Gaza.
Netanyahu’s latest assault on Gaza is a well-worn strategy among Israeli politicians to manufacture unity during times of internal strife. After months of mass protests against the ruling coalition’s plans to overthrow the judiciary, Netanyahu believes he can end the judicial crisis — now in its 18th week — or at least halt the protests by rallying Zionist unity against an external threat.
The joint operations room for the resistance movements in Gaza announced that the groups are united and ready to respond to Israel’s attacks. This indicates a failure to undermine Palestinian resistance, which Israel attempted to fracture by targeting only Islamic Jihad commanders.
Israeli forces threatened to carry out targeted assassinations against Hamas leaders if they were to participate in any military response to Israeli aggression.
The occupation state is anxious about Palestinian unity and has built its policy on mechanisms of fragmentation and division. It has managed to do so geographically by separating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and dividing the latter into enclaves and “Bantustans”.
It is now trying to separate the resistance forces from each other.
The resistance groups understand that the conflict with Israel and its settler-colonial project is historical and existential and that all Palestinian political factions are within Israel’s target circle.
Israel under an illusion
Therefore, I believe that the policy of division and fragmentation will fail.
It should be noted here that the escalation by the government of the neo fascists — Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich — is not limited to the Gaza Strip but extends to the West Bank, Jerusalem, 1948 Palestinians, and our political prisoners.
The occupation government is under the illusion that its policy will break the will and steadfastness of our people and their determination to resist and struggle.
If the fascist right-wing government poses a threat to our people, it is important to turn this threat into an opportunity by working towards achieving a unified struggle in the field.
Examples include pursuing action against Israeli war criminals in international courts, promoting popular resistance and diplomacy, exposing the fascist and racist nature of the occupying state, and revealing the deep connection between Zionism, fascism, and racism.
Palestinians across the occupied territories continue to emphasise national unity on the basis of resistance and struggle
Palestinians are waiting to see what will happen in the coming hours, though the situation seems to be moving towards escalation.
Despite the fear of another war on Gaza, Palestinians across the occupied territories continue to emphasise national unity on the basis of resistance and struggle, including the importance of practising all forms of legitimate struggle to defend the freedom and dignity of our people.
That Israel would engage in yet another brutal campaign against Gaza on the 75th anniversary of the Nakba only confirms the nature of the Zionist colonial project as an aggressive and racist system built on violence and ethnic cleansing.
Mohsen Abu Ramadan is the former director of the Palestinian Non-governmental Organisation Network (PNGO). This article is republished from Middle East Eye.
Al Jazeera’s Youmna El Sayed reporting live from Gaza. Image: AL screenshot CP
New Zealand Nakba rallies
Saturday, May 13, is the international day of action marking the 75th anniversary of the Nakba (“catastrophe” in Arabic) which marks the ethnic cleansing of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their land and homes by Israeli militias in 1948.
The Nakba continues today with ethnic cleansing, house demolitions and land theft across Palestine.
Marches and demonstrations will be held across the world and in Aotearoa New Zealand, because the country is close to the international dateline, we will be the first nation to be taking action.
Nakba Day is actually on the Monday but to give more people the chance to take part it is being remembered around the world on Saturday, May 13)
West Papua National Committee international spokesperson Victor Yeimo addressing a 2016 rally in Jayapura . . . sentenced to eight years in jail. Image: Tabloid Jubi/RNZ Pacific
RNZ Pacific
Amnesty International is calling on Indonesia to release West Papua National Committee (KNPB) international spokesperson Victor Yeimo.
Yeimo was sentenced on Friday to eight months in prison for his involvement in an anti-racism protest in Papua in August 2019.
In a statement, Amnesty International is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Yeimo and all Papuans imprisoned for peacefully expressing their political opinions.
Amnesty Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said the arbitrary arrest and detention of Victor Yeimo and many other Papuans was discriminatory and constituted a failure of the Indonesian state to uphold and protect the democractic and human rights of its citizens.
“The fact that he and many Papuans have been arrested and detained for peacefully expressing their political opinion represents the state’s neglect on human rights protection,” he said.
Hamid said data collected between 2019 and 2022 indicates an alarming escalation in efforts to silence and intimidate Papuan activists in Indonesia with at least 78 people facing criminal charges and prosecution for allegedly violating treason articles under the Penal Code.
Carolyn Nash, Asia advocacy director at Amnesty USA, said human rights were under attack in the autonomous region.
‘Escalating efforts to silence Papuans’
“These escalating efforts to silence and intimidate Papuan activists should alarm the US government, which has repeatedly looked to Indonesia as a regional example of democratic norms commitment to human rights principles,” she said.
“But the reality is clear: these human rights principles are under attack.
“The treatment of Papuan activists is the measure by which the US can assess the Indonesian government’s commitment to protect free expression — and the Indonesian government is demonstrating how weak that commitment truly is.”
Previously, West Papua Action Aotearoa spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said Yeimo’s only crime had been to stand up against the abuse of West Papuan students in Indonesia.
PNG's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko . . . his daughter was "totally devastated" by the backlash to her TikTok video. Image: Natalie Whiting/ABC News
Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister has vehemently defended his daughter against a furious backlash to a TikTok video she posted as part of PNG’s official delegation to King Charles III’s coronation.
The video posted by Savannah Tkatchenko flaunts extravagant meals in first class airport lounges and “elite” shopping experiences at luxury brands on the taxpayer-funded trip.
“We did some shopping around Singapore airport at Hermes and Louis Vuitton. For those of you that don’t know, Singapore airport shopping is so elite,” she said in the clip.
Savannah Tkatchenko attended the coronation in London alongside her father, Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko, and two other officials.
The video has garnered widespread criticism in PNG, with commentators saying money for the trip should have been spent on improving healthcare, education and other services in the impoverished county.
Speaking to ABC’s Pacific Beat, Minister Tkatchenko said critics of the video were “primitive animals” with “nothing better to do”.
He said his daughter did not actually purchase anything at some shops featured in the video.
Speaking to ABC’s Pacific Beat, Mr Tkachenko said critics of the video were “primitive animals” with “nothing better to do” 😳 https://t.co/lO1wEpBJkd
‘My daughter is devastated’
“My daughter now is totally devastated. She is traumatised by some of the most ridiculous and useless comments that I’ve seen,” he said.
“Jealousy is a curse. And, you know, these people clearly show that they have got nothing to do in their lives.”
About 40 percent of Papua New Guineans live below the basic needs poverty line, according to World Bank data published in 2020.
Tkatchenko said his daughter was selected to attend the coronation in the place of his wife, who could not make the event.
“The best next person in my family was my eldest daughter, who is a qualified lawyer by profession,” he said.
“We went to London, we attended all the meetings and events, and she represented her country without fear or favour to the highest degree and honour.”
PNG social justice advocate and former election candidate Tania Bale said the minister’s response was “tone deaf”.
Fuuurious online backlash in PNG after FM Justin Tkachenko’s daughter posted a TikTok video of her (taxpayer funded) trip to London to attend the King’s Coronation. FM has responded angrily, saying his daughter has copped online abuse from “useless” people and “primitive animals” https://t.co/e6f7GCswOJ
— Stephen Dziedzic (@stephendziedzic) May 10, 2023
‘Completely offensive’
“It’s completely offensive to the people of Papua New Guinea and the suffering that we’re going through. It shows complete contempt for us,” she said.
“There’s just a big disconnect with what I’m seeing in this video of super luxury . . . and you contrast that with how our people actually live.”
According to local media, the coronation cost PNG taxpayers 6 million kina (NZ$2.7 million) — half of which was spent on an in-country celebration attended by Prime Minister James Marape.
Tkatchenko said he could not confirm reports that PNG Governor-General Bob Dadae also took a delegation of between 10 and 30 people to the coronation, saying the trips were “completely separate”.
“We attended the coronation because of our connection with the monarchy, the connection with the Commonwealth. It’s very straightforward. It’s nothing to hide,” he said.
Lae resident Laurence, who did not want to use his last name out of fear of reprisal for speaking out, said the spending did not seem justified.
Facing ‘a lot of issues’
“The country is facing a lot of issues and that sort of money should be spent on other services in a country instead of for just a single event or trip,” he said.
The video has now been removed from Tik Tok and Savannah Tkatchenko appears to have deleted her account.
Minister Tkatchenko said the coronation visit was a success for PNG.
“I hold my head up high. We had a fantastic coronation. Papua New Guinea was represented at the highest order. The King was so impressed,” he said.
The ABC has contacted Savannah Tkatchenko for comment.
Marian Faa and Belinda Kora are ABC Pacific Beat reporters. Republished from Pacific Beat and Asia Pacific Report with permission.
Noumea Accord signatory Victor Tutugoro about the 2021 Kanak referendum boycott . . . "[The vote was] a travesty. It's not a referendum that concerns the Kanak people." Image: RNZ Pacific/AFP
By Walter Zweifel
France has been warned against attempts to abandon the New Caledonian decolonisation process pursued for more than two decades.
A veteran independence campaigner, Victor Tutugoro, made the warning on the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Noumea Accord, which has been the roadmap guiding the gradual and irreversible transfer of power from France to New Caledonia.
As one of the signatories, Tutugoro told the news site Outremers360 that “the process of decolonisation must continue. It was thought to bring back calm and serenity, it should not be thrown away today”.
“Rewriting a blank page, wiping everything off the table is dangerous, it’s leading the country to disaster,” he said.
After the violence in the 1980s, the accord between the pro- and anti-independence parties as well as the French state firmed up the consensus for a peaceful approach to the Kanaks’ claim for self-determination.
The proposed 20-year emancipation process of the accord concluded with three referendums between 2018 and 2021 and resulted in three rejections of full sovereignty — two of them very narrowly.
Not legitimate
However, the third and last vote in 2021 is not being accepted by the Kanaks as the legitimate outcome of the decolonisation process.
With the Kanak population being hit hard by the covid-19 pandemic, the pro-independence parties lobbied France to postpone the plebiscite but Paris refused, which prompted a boycott of the vote.
More than 96 percent voted against independence but less than half of the electorate voted.
Few Kanaks voted and as the president of New Caledonia’s Congress and signatory to the Noumea Accord, Roch Wamtyan, noted, the vote missed the point because it should have been about the Kanak people, colonised since 1853.
“It’s a travesty. It’s not a referendum that concerns the Kanak people,” he said.
The anti-independence parties hailed the referendum victory and French President Emmanuel Macron also welcomed the result, saying “France was more beautiful because New Caledonia decided to remain part of it”.
Macron said a new common project had to be built while recognising and respecting the dignity of everyone.
The accord stipulates that in the case of three “no” votes, the political partners would meet to examine the situation which had arisen.
Murky way forward
The way forward is murky as the two sides hold incompatible positions.
There is disagreement over whether the process has come to its conclusion and there is disagreement over whether the Noumea Accord provisions now enshrined in the French constitution are irreversible.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the result of the referendum in 2021. Image: RNZ Pacific/AFP
As Noumea law professor Mathias Chauchat noted last year, “there is a contradiction between the lapsing and irreversibility of the Noumea Accord. The two concepts cannot be made to coexist”.
“Either the accord is void or it is irreversible,” he added.
Tutugoro said the accord provisions must continue to be implemented.
He said the rebalancing within the territory as outlined in the accord was not complete, citing the Northern Province where he said one cannot do in 30 years what had not been done in more than 100 years.
“It should be the Kanaks, and those to whom we have given the right to decolonisation [other New Caledonian communities] to run the country today. But we are still far from it. Many decisions are made in ministerial circles or in inaccessible settings,” he said.
He went on to say that it was a mistake “to have trusted certain signatories. The accord is what it is today because some did not keep to their word. And here, the word is sacred,” he said.
Will Paris alter the provincial roll? A contentious issue emanating from the Noumea Accord is the make-up of the roll used in provincial elections, which choose the provincial assemblies that in turn make up the Congress.
At the insistence of the pro-independence parties, it was agreed that in order to be eligible to vote, an individual must be either an indigenous Kanak or a resident since 1998.
This provision was meant to set the parameters for New Caledonian citizenship.
The anti-independence parties said given the referendum outcome, New Caledonia needed to be realigned with France and the restrictions eased.
They said the restricted roll had become untenable and want France to open it for next year’s elections.
About 40,000 French citizens are excluded from provincial elections but can take part in France’s parliamentary and presidential elections.
A leading anti-independence politician and president of New Caledonia’s Southern Province, Sonia Backes, said she would quit her position in the French government if it failed to open up New Caledonia’s electoral rolls.
Anti-independence politician Sonia Backes . . . threatened to quit her position in the French government if it failed to open up New Caledonia’s electoral rolls. Image: RNZ Pacific
Citizens have same rights
An organisation of French citizens without full voting rights in New Caledonia pointed out a basic principle of the French republic was that all citizens had the same rights.
Cognisant of the possible implications of the Noumea Accord, the French government noted that “a lasting registration of a restricted and fixed electorate would raise difficulties with regard to France’s international commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and under the European Convention on Human Rights”.
Two months ago, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the 2024 provincial elections would not be able to go ahead with the 1998.
However, he has yet to announce what change his government plans and how it would be implemented.
The pro-independence parties, united under the FLNKS umbrella, keep objecting to any suggestion for change.
Its delegate at the UN Decolonisation Committee, Dimitri Qenegei, said last year that France’s intention to open up the electoral rolls was the ultimate weapon to “drown” the Kanak people and “recolonise” New Caledonia.
The Kanaks, he said, would be made to disappear and that would not be accepted, inevitably lead to conflict.
‘Mother of all battles’
The Caledonian Union’s Gilbert Tyuienon told New Caledonia’s La Premiere television at the weekend that getting the restricted roll was “the mother of all battles” for the Kanaks in the process of attaining the 1998 Noumea Accord.
Last month, the union’s president, Daniel Goa, warned that if France changed the roll for provincial elections, there would be a risk of there never being any election.
He added that the survival of the Kanaks hinged on the issue.
In response, the anti-independence coalition, led by Backes, lodged a complaint with the French prosecutor for alleged incitement to violence and sedition.
In defending Goa, Tyuienon said he simply stated what the party membership thought.
He warned that dialogue [with France] would be suspended if Goa was taken to court.
Since the disputed 2021 referendum, the Caledonian Union keeps insisting that any discussion has to be a bilateral one between the coloniser and the colonised people.
Sovereignty timetable
It insists on a timetable to be presented for the restoration of sovereignty taken in 1853.
Only then, it said, would it be prepared to enter into trilateral talks which included the anti-independence parties.
In the week after the 2021 referendum, Paris presented a timetable for the post-referendum process which was meant to culminate in a new referendum on a new statute for the territory in June this year.
The pro-independence parties, however, deprived the French plan of its momentum.
Only last month saw the pro-independence parties accept top level contact with the French government for the first time since the 2021 vote.
There was no tangible progress towards any new statute but agreement to continue talks in June when the French interior minister Darmanin is due back in Noumea for a second time in three months.
The provincial elections are scheduled for May next year, but it is uncertain what the roll will look like.
Journalist, author and media academic David Robie has launched an independent news and current affairs website to complement his long-established Asia Pacific Report.
While Asia Pacific Report will continue to cover regional affairs, the new website — dubbed Café Pacific, the same name as his blog which is being absorbed into the new venture — will focus on more in-depth reports and make available on open access a range of books and articles previously hidden behind paywalls.
Café Pacific will be operated on a Creative Commons licence basis as is APR.
Dr David Robie . . . editor and publisher of Café Pacific. Image: APR
Dr Robie, formerly founding director of AUT’s Pacific Media Centre and a professor of Pacific journalism, described the website project as “innovative”.
The about page says: “Café Pacific : Media freedom and transparency is the Asia-Pacific news articles archive and website of journalist and author David Robie, published with the support of Multimedia Investments Ltd in collaboration with Asia Pacific Report, EveningReport.nz and the Asia Pacific Media Network, and contributing colleagues, academics and freelancers.”
“There is a real need for an outlet such as this — specialist Asia-Pacific websites are rare,” says Dr Robie.
“It will be a rather eclectic website, but will focus on many of the critical issues that are either ignored in mainstream media or underplayed — such as climate justice, decolonisation in ‘French’ Polynesia and Kanaky New Caledonia, digital divide, education equity, environmental integrity, human rights, media freedom, podcasts, sustainable development and the crisis in West Papua.”
The website will also be a repository for Dr Robie’s past journalism, books and academic research, making publications more publicly accessible.
Dr Robie praised EveningReport.nz and Multimedia Investments managing director Selwyn Manning for his “perceptive” role in designing and developing the website.
“Selwyn has a long track record of supporting student and alternative journalism as witnessed with first Pacific Scoop and then Asia Pacific Report. And now we see it again with Café Pacific.”
Selwyn Manning and security analyst Dr Paul Buchanan will resume their popular weekly podcasts, “A View From Afar”, about current issues on EveningReport.nz and social media outlets tomorrow (May 11) at noon.
A West Papuan leader, defending himself against treason charges, has denounced “systemic racism” by Indonesian authorities in the Melanesian region in a court hearing.
Viktor Yeimo, the international spokesperson of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), presented his defence statement — pledoi — in a hearing at the Jayapura Class 1A District Court in Papua Province last Thursday.
He claimed that the treason charge against him was discriminatory and had political undertones.
Yeimo also argued that the trial conducted at the Jayapura District Court had failed to provide evidence of any wrongdoing or violation of the law — let alone treason — on his part.
The accusation of treason against Yeimo was linked to his alleged involvement in the anti-racism protests in Jayapura City on August 19 and 29, 2019.
These protests were made to condemn derogatory remarks made towards Papuan students at the Kamasan III Student Dormitory in Surabaya on August 16, 2019.
On August 12, 2021, the Jayapura District Court registered the alleged treason case under the case number 376/Pid.Sus/2021/PN Jap. The trial was presided over by chief judge Mathius and member judges Andi Asmuruf and Linn Carol Hamadi.
Witnesses ‘proved innocence’
When reading his defence statement, Yeimo said that all witnesses presented by the prosecutor had actually proven the fact that he did not plan or coordinate the demonstrations against Indonesian racism that took place in Jayapura City.
Video of Viktor Yeimo’s defence presentation. Video: Jubi TV
“At the August 19, 2019 action, I participated as a participant in the action against racism, and took part in securing the peaceful action at the request of students until it was over,” Yeimo said.
During the hearing, Yeimo argued that the witnesses produced by the prosecutor had actually corroborated his innocence. Their testimony had shown that he did not organise the protests in question.
Yeimo maintained that he had simply participated in the protests as a supporter of the cause and had helped ensure their peaceful conduct.
“During the protest on August 19, 2019, I merely acted as a participant and helped maintain a peaceful demonstration until it ended,” Yeimo said in his defence.
Yeimo highlighted the testimony of Feri Kombo, the former head of the Cenderawasih University student executive board in 2019, who affirmed that Yeimo was not involved in the planning or coordination of the anti-racism protests.
Kombo was summoned as a witness on February 7, 2023, and testified that Yeimo had only given a speech at the event when requested by the protesters, and that the speech was intended to maintain order among them.
Delivered speeches
“I delivered speeches expressing my disappointment with the acts of racism in Surabaya. This aspiration is protected by the country’s laws as a constitutional right,” Yeimo said.
“As stated by the state administration expert witness and the philosophy expert witness, this right has a scientific basis.”
In addition, Yeimo stressed that he had never been involved in participating, let alone planning, in the protest that occurred on August 29, 2019, which was confirmed by all the witnesses presented in the trial.
Yeimo admitted that he had taken photos and videos in front of the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) office and the Governor’s Office, but did not join the protest.
Yeimo clarified that he captured photos and videos to share with journalists and the public outside of Papua since the internet network was cut off by the central government at the time.
He added that President Joko Widodo had been found guilty of unlawful acts by a judge in the State Administrative Court in relation to the internet blackout.
Response to racism Yeimo said that the anti-racism demonstration was a spontaneous action taken by both Papuan and non-Papuan people in response to the racial insults that had been directed at Papuan students in Surabaya.
“The 2019 anti-racism protest that spread throughout Papua was a spontaneous response by Papuans and non-Papuan sympathizers from various backgrounds including private sector workers, students, farmers, military and police, and others.
“Everyone was reacting to the racist remarks in Surabaya. The demonstration in Jayapura was organised by students and the Cipayung group, and there was no planning, conspiracy, or treason as alleged.
“My speech was to represent the Papuan people who felt outraged by the racist insults. I deny all accusations that link me to my organizational background and other activities that have no direct connection to the facts of the anti-racism protest,” Yeimo said.
Yeimo stated that during the protest on August 19, 2019, he spoke about the issue of racism and discrimination in Indonesia. He emphasised that these problems were not merely personal issues but rather systematic problems that were perpetuated for the benefit of the ruling economic powers.
“It is evident that racist views have led to Papuans being treated differently in all aspects of their lives. The negative stigma attached to Papuans is what led the mass organisation and state apparatus to attack the Papuan Student Dormitory in Surabaya.”
In his statement, Yeimo’s arguments revolved around the issue of racial discrimination that Papuans have faced and how it is seen as a normal occurrence that the State tolerates.
Papuans standing up to injustices
He highlighted that when Papuans stood up against these injustices, they were met with accusations of provocation and charged with treason.
“This trial case proves it. Racism really exists in all these accusations and charges. Could the State explain why the Papuan race is a minority, with only 2.9 million people remaining, while in Papua New Guinea there are already 17 million Papuans?” Yeimo asked.
In his pledoi, Yeimo not only defended himself against the treason allegations but also criticised Indonesia’s lack of development in Papua.
He raised questions about why the poverty rate in Papua remained the highest among all provinces in Indonesia and why the Human Development Index in the region had consistently been the lowest.
Yeimo pointed out the contrasting approaches taken by the Indonesian government in resolving the conflict in Aceh and in Papua.
Differences with Aceh
While the Aceh conflict was resolved through peace talks, Papua’s aspirations for independence have been met with violence and imprisonment.
Yeimo questioned why the government treats the two regions so differently.
Yeimo said that although Indonesia had enacted several laws to address issues of discrimination, freedom of expression, and special autonomy for Papua, these laws do not seem to be enforced in Papua, and their implementation did not benefit the indigenous Papuans.
“Isn’t that a structured crime against us Papuans? Can the government answer these questions? Or do the answers have to come from the muzzle of a gun?” asked Yeimo.
“Why is the government avoiding solutions recommended by state institutions such as the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, the National Research and Innovation Agency, and others who present the studies on Papua problems?”
Linguist witness competence in Yeimo’s trial questioned During the hearing, Viktor Yeimo’s legal team, represented by the Papua Law Enforcement and Human Rights Coalition, presented a defence read by advocate Emanuel Gobay.
Gobay argued that the prosecutor’s conclusion that Yeimo had committed treason relied solely on the testimony of a linguist witness who lacked the necessary expertise to prove the elements of the crime of treason as outlined in Article 106 jo Article 55 paragraph (1) to 1 of the Criminal Code, which Yeimo had been charged with.
“As a matter of fact, during the trial, the prosecutor never presented a criminal expert witness. Instead, the prosecutor relied on a linguist and then concluded that Viktor Yeimo was guilty of treason,” said Gobay.
According to Gobay, Yeimo’s legal team had presented multiple expert witnesses who explained the components of the treason offence, which included the elements of intent, territorial separation, and participation.
“All elements mentioned in Article 106 are not proven based on the testimony of both the prosecutor’s witnesses and the expert witnesses we presented,” Gobay said.
Gobay expressed the hope that the judges would review all the facts presented in Yeimo’s trial.
He asked the judges to re-examine the data provided by legal philosophy expert Tristam Pascal Moeliono, human rights expert Herlambang P Wiratraman, conflict resolution expert in Papua Cahyo Pamungkas, and criminal law expert Amira Paripurna.
Ultimately, Gobay made a plea to the judges to exonerate Viktor Yeimo, stating there was no proof of the alleged offences.
He requested restoration of Yeimo’s reputation and the State to bear the trial costs.
Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma's President Reverend Ili Vunisuwai (right) with Fiji's Assistant Minister for Women Sashi Kiran in Suva . . . "seeking forgiveness". Image: Methodist Church In Fiji and Rotuma/RNZ Pacific
By Rachael Nath
The Methodist Church of Fiji is seeking forgiveness from the descendants of Indian indentured labourers, or Girmitiyas, for the transgressions of the last 36 years.
The racially motivated violent coups of 1987 and 2000 and the military coup d’état of December 2006 have left a permanent scar on race relations within the country.
The 1987 and 2000 coups were supported by the church’s then-leadership.
But in a historic move, the church is launching a 10-year campaign to heal the wounds of the past — starting with an apology to coincide with the inaugural Girmit Day celebrations next Sunday.
Reverend Ili Vunisuwai is leading the official apology at the national reconciliation service on May 14 as the head of the largest Christian denomination in Fiji.
“The time is right to launch a campaign for national reconciliation and give the people of all races a chance to confess their weaknesses,” Reverend Vunisuwai said.
“Let’s seek forgiveness from those they regard as their enemies. We strongly believe that by confession with pure hearts and humility, our transgression can be forgiven,” he said.
‘Dark days of social upheavals’
“As we look back, the dark days of social upheavals of coups of 1987, 2000 as well as 2006, and then, unfolding events of hatred and discrimination, which resulted in fear and uncertainties, I think there’s a lot to be done by the church to bring the two races together.”
The timing of the event has much significance as the country of under a million people marks 144 years since the arrival of the first of more than 60,000 indentured labourers or Girmitiyas as they later came to be known.
Girmitiyas were brought to Fiji between 1879 to 1916 by British colonial rulers to work in plantations across the island.
As a result of the indentured labour system, Fijians of Indian descent make up the second largest ethnic population in Fiji today — slightly over 34 percent, while the iTaukei or indigenous people comprise 62 percent.
Chair to the Girmit Celebrations, Assistant Minister for Women Sashi Kiran, is calling the apology efforts a start of a peaceful future for the nation.
‘We acknowledge the pain’ ‘I’m very humbled, and I’m very, very touched at the strength of the Committee and of the leadership of the Methodist Church,” Kiran told RNZ Pacific.
“They’re willing to look at the problem in the eye and say, ‘Well, let’s talk about it. We apologise, we can’t change the past, but we are sorry for the hurt that we have caused’.”
But while Kiran accepts the apology from the church, she acknowledges that many in the Indo-Fijian community may not be ready.
“Any pain cannot be underrated,” she said. “What people went through was their pain, and it’s their journey so by no means can we judge what people are feeling or going through”
“We acknowledge the pain. We acknowledge the pain of the past,” she added.
Methodist Church of Fiji’s Apisalome Tudreu and Fiji’s Assistant Minister for Women Sashi Kiran . . . “We ask you to please open your hearts and open your inner feelings” plea to Fijians . . . “Let’s work on healing.” Image: Methodist Church In Fiji and Rotuma/RNZ Pacific
However, she admits that events of the past cannot be undone, and the way forward is through healing.
“In the interest of healing the nation, in the interest of future generations that they born into a healed nation…we ask you to please open your hearts and open your inner feelings,” she appealed to Fijians.
“Let’s talk about it [past atrocities], and let’s work on healing and come into that space.”
She said it was also “okay” for those people who still “need time” to heal from the racial troubles, adding “at least we begin to talk about this.”
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who has publicly apologised for his actions in 1987 repeatedly, accepts that many will still remember the dark past that made him notorious worldwide.
“The man that we did not want to know about, we shied away from his name, addressed us…and he does not bite, he’s not an angry young man,” Rabuka told the 12th World Hindi Conference in Nadi in February.
“He is just an old man who understands the feelings of the descendants of the Girmitiyas who are now his age, looking at their grandchildren and children growing up in the land they now call home.”
RNZ Pacific asked Reverend Vunisuwai why it has taken the Methodist Church of Fiji 35 years to apologise to the Indo-Fijian community?
“The current government has allowed the celebration of the Girmitiyas, and that’s probably a good time for national reconciliation regarding all the upheavals of the past 30 years or so.”
King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave from the balcony at Buckingham Palace after the coronation yesterday. Image: Al Jazeera screenshot APR
ANALYSIS:By James Mehigan
The coronation of King Charles III is an ideal time for Australia and New Zealand to take stock of the British monarchy and its role in national life — including certain myths about what becoming a republic might mean.
In particular, there is a common assumption that both nations must remain monarchies to retain membership of the Commonwealth of Nations. It might sound logical, but it’s entirely wrong.
There is no basis for it in the rules of the Commonwealth or the practice of its members. Australia could ditch the monarchy and stay in the club, and New Zealand can too, whether it has a king or a Kiwi as head of state.
Yet this peculiar myth persists at home and abroad. Students often ask me about it when I’m teaching the structure of government. And just this week a French TV station interpreted the New Zealand prime minister’s opinion that his country would one day ideally become a republic to mean he would like to see it leave the Commonwealth.
The United Kingdom’s first coronation in 70 years. Video: Al Jazeera
What does ‘Commonwealth’ mean? The implication that breaking from the Commonwealth would be a precursor to, or consequence of, becoming a republic relies on a faulty premise which joins two entirely separate things: the way we pick our head of state, and our membership of the Commonwealth.
It would make just as much sense to ask whether Australia or New Zealand should leave the International Cricket Council and become a republic.
The confusion may derive from the fact that the 15 countries that continue to have the British sovereign as their head of state are known as “Commonwealth Realms”.
What we usually refer to as the Commonwealth, on the other hand, is the organisation founded in 1926 as the British Commonwealth of Nations. This is the body whose membership determines the competing nations of the Commonwealth Games, the highest-profile aspect of the Commonwealth’s work.
King Charles III is the head of state of the 15 Commonwealth Realms and the head of the international governmental organisation that is the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth has 56 members — but only 15 of them continue to have the king as head of state.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Monday he personally favors his country becoming a republic, though it’s not a change he intends to push for as leader. https://t.co/1XEiFFtqPTpic.twitter.com/aftsZ0hHmV
Joining the Commonwealth club To be fair, confusion over who heads the Commonwealth is nothing new. A 2010 poll conducted by the Royal Commonwealth Society found that, of the respondents in seven countries, only half knew the then queen was the head of the Commonwealth.
A quarter of Jamaicans believed the organisation was led by the then US president, Barack Obama. One in ten Indians and South Africans thought it was run by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Given the king’s overlapping leadership roles and the different use of the word in the contexts of Commonwealth Realms and the Commonwealth of Nations, these broad misunderstandings are perhaps understandable.
In fact, it was this ambiguity that allowed for the development of an inclusive Commonwealth during the postwar years of decolonisation.
However the confusion arose, it is also very simple to correct. The Commonwealth relaxed its membership rules regarding republics when India became one in 1950.
According to Philip Murphy, the historian and former director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, this decision was based on the erroneous idea that India’s huge standing army would underwrite Britain’s great-power status in the postwar world.
From that point on the Commonwealth of Nations no longer comprised only members who admitted to the supremacy of one sovereign. To make the change palatable, a piece of conceptual chicanery was needed. Each country did not need a king, but the king was to be head of the organisation comprising equal members.
Republican protesters who want an elected head of state in the United Kingdom at the coronation . . . placards reading “Democracy not monarchy” and “Not my king”. Image: Al Jazeera screenshot APR
Monarchy optional Since then, the number of Commonwealth members has steadily increased to the 56 we have today.
As early as 1995, membership was extended to countries with no ties to the former British Empire. With the support of Nelson Mandela, Mozambique became a member, joining the six Commonwealth members with which it shared a border.
Rwanda, a former German and then Belgian colony, joined in 2009. It became an enthusiastic member and hosted the biennial meeting of states known as CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting).
According to the Commonwealth’s own rules, membership is based on a variety of things, including commitment to democratic processes, human rights and good governance. Being a monarchy is entirely optional.
The new king offers the chance for a broader debate on the advantages of monarchy. But let us do so knowing Commonwealth membership is entirely unaffected by the question of whether or not the country is a republic.
