By HARLYNE JOKU
“Papa Somare, you gave our parents the freedom and liberty they never had.
“The freedom to live here in PNG without fear, and greatest of all, the liberty to enjoy our life without the oppressive restrictions on our behavior or political views,” the leader of the West Papua Group Frank Makanuay said on Wednesday at the National Haus Krai.
“We acknowledge the darkest moments of our parents, our fathers and mothers, during the plight of a safe haven, the Great Sana, Michael Somare, opened his door to accept us.
“Thank you, Papa Michael, thank you, Grand Chief Right Honourable Sir Michael Thomas Somare. The greatest Melanesian ever, the greatest Papua New Guineans if ever there was one, it was you.
“I speak in the voice representing the hearts, and minds of ten thousand and more West Papuans in diaspora, we hold heartfelt prayers for a great man, a great leader our grand chief, who has accepted us as his own people,” Mr Mackanuay said.
“He allowed us to be part of the future of this great nation. Today, we have intellectuals across this great land, and abroad, overseas, who have come out of this system that the great man has created.
“We are indeed forever indebted to his dream, wisdom and foresight. We are equals. That is the statement immortalized in every West Papua child who has come out of PNG’s education system and the land of equal opportunity, and we off course are humbled and ever privileged.
The West Papua group was accepted in the bigger West and East Sepik provincial groups to pay tribute to the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare on Wednesday evening (March 10).