Indonesia at the UN General Assembly: Vanuatu Do not Intervene in Papua Affairs

UN General Assembly Papua

Author Shintaloka Pradita Sicca | Editor Shintaloka Pradita Sicca

GENEVA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s representative diplomat, Silvany Austin Pasaribu, drew attention at the UN General Assembly when exercising his right of reply against Vanuatu’s allegations of human rights violations in Papua.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu, Bob Loughman, previously raised the issue of Papuan human rights violations at the UN General Assembly.

“It is a shame that this one country continues to have an excessive and unhealthy obsession with how Indonesia should act or run its own government,” Silvany said at the start of his speech, which was quoted by the UN Youtube on Saturday (26/9/2020).

“Frankly, I am confused about how one country can try to teach another country, while missing the essence of all the basic principles of the UN Charter,” he continued. Silvany said that the accusation by the Vanuatu government was no longer respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Indonesian state.

In a courtroom attended by representatives from various countries in the world, Silvany emphasized that Indonesia consciously tries to promote and protect human rights, where every individual has the same rights under the law.

Indonesia consists of more than hundreds of diverse and multicultural ethnic groups, with thousands of ethnic groups, hundreds of regional languages ​​spread across more than 17 thousand and 400 islands, committed to human rights.

“We value diversity, we respect tolerance and everyone has equal rights in the third largest democracy in the world,” he said. He also quoted the words of the Indonesian President, Joko Widodo during his speech at the UN General Assembly, a few days ago, to take a “win-win solution” approach to building relations between countries.

“It is true that such calls have been echoed by world leaders this week, but this country has chosen the opposite,” he said.

“In times of major health and economic crises, they prefer to cultivate hostility and sow divisions by guiding their advocacy for separatism with excessive human rights concerns,” he continued.

Reply to criticism Silvany criticized the Vanuatu government, that the Vanuatu government itself does not show its commitment to eliminating racial discrimination, by not having signed an international convention on the elimination of racial discrimination for all.

“So, until you do it (commit to eliminating racial discrimination), please keep the sermon to yourself,” said Silvany.

When the Vanuatu government does not even sign an international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights, which are the core instruments of human rights, its criticism of human rights in Papua, Indonesia, becomes questionable. “This raises the question of whether they (the Vanuatu government) really care about the concerns of indigenous peoples,” said Silvany.

Papuans are Indonesians, which he said that all played an important role in the development of Indonesia, including in Papua. “You are not a representation of the Papuan people. And stop fantasizing about being one,” he said.

Then, Silvany said that the Vanuatu government’s criticism of Indonesia led to the continued advocacy of saparatism, which was conveyed under the guise of artificial human rights concerns.

“The principles of the UN charter which Vanuatu do not seem to understand establish respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said. The provinces of Papua and West Papua have been irrevocable parts of Indonesia since 1945.

“This has also been strongly supported by the United Nations and the international community several decades ago. In this final it is irreversible and permanent,” he concluded.

UN General Assembly Papua