They are even reluctant to claim the enforced Asian identity tagged upon them by the colonial government which in itself is a conflict of culture and identity one trying to subjugate the other that is considered as primitive. The current ongoing conflict against the Indonesian government is to separate themselves from the Asians simply through independence.
There were factors that maintain the Indonesian claim over the West Papuan people regionally. The other Melanesian countries' leaders still see West Papuans as Asians which results in West Papuans being rejected in every regional forum.Â
Even Papua New Guinea the closest neighbour that shares the same land boundary is reluctant to accept that West Papuans are the Melanesian people of the Pacific through its diplomatic ties with Indonesia. West Papuans desire to be heard and accepted by the Pacific people to confirm their identity as Melanesians in the Pacific.Â
The Pacific countries continuous support for Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua puts the West Papuans to extinction in a slow motion systematic genocide well planned by the government of Indonesia with an aim to take over the island.Â
Every week loads after loads of immigrants are coming from other parts of Indonesia to Papua and the government seem reluctant to address the issue at all. West Papuans are being helpless due to the fact that the government policies seem to protect the immigrants' welfare more than the indigenous people of West Papua. Having access to affordable loans in West Papua is very hard if you are black person with curly hair as your identity. Nobody is interested to listen to a black person pleading for assistance in business or any other social progress.
West Papuans still longed to identify themselves as Melanesians of the Pacific decent one day even when the going gets tougher nowadays. The question is, when will the other pacific island countries accept the West Papua people into the pacific community?
