Conversing with Mr. Paiki at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C, about his experience – from Indonesian prison to the US, and standing here at this sacred place. And what message he wanted to send our political activists back home.
It was an honor for me to be with and speak with Mr. Septinus Paiki after more than twenty years apart. I was with Mr. Paiki inside a police station cell room in West Papua on December 14, 2001—more than twenty years ago. That was the last time I spoke with him until he visited us in Washington, D.C. We were arrested together at that time as we gathered to commemorate, as we always do, the declaration of the independence of our country of West Melanesia in 1988. We were interrogated by the Indonesian police for hours and held for days awaiting our trial. I will never forget what we went through.
In Indonesia, a peaceful protest is considered a crime against the state, and people who organize or lead peaceful protests are often charged with subversion, a crime punishable by life imprisonment or two decades behind bars.
Mr. Paiki was one of the tribal leaders who stood with Dr. Thom Wainggai in 1988 as he declared West Papua an independent country. The declaration of independence was done in keeping with the terms of the Rome Agreement, an agreement signed by the Netherlands and Indonesia, and witnessed by the US government. That agreement allowed Indonesia to administer West Papua for two decades while preparing the indigenous people for their own independence. However, Indonesia violated that agreement and arrested Dr. Wainggai and his supporters, including Paiki. They were sentenced by an Indonesian government court to two decades each for their role in the declaration.
Mr. Paiki is among those indigenous West Papuans who have been arrested, abused, and jailed and still live to talk about their experiences. He’d turned his back on a professorial job to pursue justice for his people, and to ensure West Papua was liberated from foreign colonialism.
L-R: Herman Wainggai. Septinus Paiki. Robaha, and Nelson Wainggai. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Today, I’m with Mr. Paiki at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial here in Washington, DC. All our pioneer political activists idolized Dr. King, Jr., and what he did in the US with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Our leaders, past and present, looked to his teachings and example and tried to follow in his footsteps. And to stand here next to his statue and in front of the stones that memorialize his words and statements is a dream come true for us. As a West Papuan hardline political leader, I asked Mr. Paiki what message, in terms of conflict resolution, he wanted to send to our leaders, especially those who are facing the fury of the Indonesian government back home. Mr. Paiki’s message to our brothers and sisters in the struggle back home is to never give up – keep going until our mission is complete. He wants our people to uphold the principles of Nonviolent Resistance, and to continue to the fight peacefully until Indonesian recognizes our right to our own independent state.
After our visit to the Martin Luther King Memorial, we crossed over to the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. President Lincoln left a huge mark in the history of the United States by abolishing slavery and reuniting the country that had been torn apart by the Civil War. We know for a fact that the fight for freedom is worth dying for, and so it was important for us to pay our tribute to this great leader.
Our fight for freedom will continue until we achieve our goal of living in a country free of foreign rule and occupation. And it is our commitment to this struggle that no matter how long it takes—whether our freedom is achieved tomorrow, next month, next year, or in ten or twenty years—we will continue until we get to the end.
Thank you to all who are with us in our struggle, we owe you a world of gratitude.
Herman Wainggai
Executive Director
West Papua Human Rights Center