May 1st will always be a day of mourning in West Papua. Today we mark 63 years since Indonesia invaded our land, beginning the tragedy we are still living through today.

According to the provisions of the New York Agreement, signed the previous year between Indonesia, the USA, and the Netherlands, West Papuans should have been allowed to exercise our right to self-determination through an independence referendum. As all West Papuans know, this didn’t happen. Instead, Indonesia’s invasion launched six years of brutality, ending with the fraudulent Act of No Choice 1969, as Indonesia threatened and bullied 1025 West Papuans into voting against independence.

The fifteen innocent Papuans murdered this month in Puncak are proof that Indonesia’s war on West Papua never stopped. The 107,000 displaced civilians, forced into the bush by military operations; the millions of hectares of ancestral land being destroyed by Indonesian machinery; the military checkpoints being established in villages all across the highlands: all of these violations testify to Indonesia’s ongoing settler colonial occupation.

But May 1 is also a day of resistance: it was on this day in 2021 that the ULMWP announced the cabinet of our Provisional Government, symbolically reclaiming the sovereignty Indonesia stole in 1963.

Today, of all days, we will not bow down to Indonesia’s colonial rule. Instead, the ULMWP is restoring our stolen sovereignty, by building the capacity of our provisional government. In this spirit, I today announce a reshuffle of our Provisional Cabinet (listed below), as we continue building our capacity on the ground.

All West Papuans should take heart from the continued operation of the ULMWP, even under the most oppressive conditions. Our roadmap is clear and our administration is complete, from our constitution to our Regional Executives, to our thousands of representatives across West Papua. The ULMWP has pushed West Papua onto the international agenda, winning the demand of more than 100 UN states for a UN Human Rights visit. As we continue to build support for our cause, the international community must engage with the ULMWP as the legitimate representatives of the West Papuan people. Engagement and dialogue, with self-determination on the table, is the only long-term hope for peace in the region.

To West Papuans, I ask that you continue to put your trust in the ULMWP’s mission: independence is coming.

As we mark invasion day, we must remember that West Papua’s strength is in our unity. Our ancestors fought against Indonesia, but Indonesia managed to divide our spirit, weakening our struggle. Only through unity will the spirit of 1961 prevail over 1963.

Benny Wenda
Interim President
ULMWP

ULMWP Provisional Government Cabinet

  1. Menteri Luar Negeri (Minister for Foreign Affairs)
    1. Tn. Jacob Rumbiak – Minister
  2. Menteri Dalam Negeri (Home Affairs Minister)
    1. Tn. Dr. Frans F. Kapisa, MSi – Minister
    2. Tn. Ondoafi Bris Alexius Mramra – Representative
  3. Menteri Lingkungan dan Kebijakan Negara Hijau (Minister for Environment and Green State Policy)
    1. Ms. Fanny Kogoya – Minister
    2. Mr. Yugumuli Yikwa – Representative
  4. Menteri Perdagangan dan Investasi (Minister for Trade and Investment)
    1. Tn. Ingmengneng Imonal – Minister
  5. Menteri Hukum dan Hak Asasi Semua Mahluk (Minister for Justice and Rights of All Beings)
    1. Tn. Agus Ayamiseba – Minister
    2. Tn. Henockmarmo Kindirik Wenda – Representative
  6. Menteri Urusan Politik (Minister for Political Affairs)
    1. Tn Basoka Yaga Logo – Minister
  7. Menteri Urusan Indonesia & Asia (Minister for Indonesia Affairs)
    1. Tn. Jack Wanggai – Minister
  8. Menteri urusan Pengungsi dan Veteran (Minister for West Papuan Refugees and Veterans)
    1. Tn. Tuan Inamonggar Waga – Minister
    2. Tn. Arnold Omba – Representative
  9. Menteri Urusan Perempuan dan Anak (Minister for Woman and Children Affairs)
    1. Ny. Ani Dabi – Minister
    2. Ny. Ika Komba – Representative
  10. Menteri Urusan Kependudukan (Minister for Civil Registry)
    1. Tn. Erik Walela – Minister
    2. Tn. Kribo Wandikmbo – Representative
  11. Menteri Urusan Kesehatan (Minister for Health)
    1. Tn Maurid Manufandu – Minister
    2. Tn Benny Pepuho – Representative
  12. Menteri Urusan Social dan Budaya (Minister for Social and Culture)
    1. Tn. Oridek Ap – Minister
    2. Tn. Parmenas Wandikmbo – Representative
  13. Menteri Kepolisian (Minister Police)
    1. Tn Gemis Tabuni – Minister
    2. Tn. Elieser Anggainggom – Representative
  14. Menteri Urusan Militer (Minister for Military Affairs)
    1. Tn. Amungut Tabi – Minister
  15. Menteri Keuangan (Minister for Finance)
    1. Tn. Yundison Yikwa – Minister
    2. Ny. Esther Game – Representative
  16. Menteri Sekretaris West Papua Council (Secretary Minister of Legislative Council)
    1. Tn. Simion Alua Surabut – Minister
  17. Menteri Sekretaris President Urusan Perencanaan dan Strategi Papua Merdeka (Minister of President Secretary on Free West Papua Planning & Strategy)
    1. Tn. Lanimale Danny Wenda – Minister

West Papua Army

  • Supreme Commander : Gen. Goliat Tabuni
    • Deputy I : Let. Gen. Melkisedek Awom
    • Deputy II : Gen. Demianus Yogi
    • Deputy III : Gen. Kogeya
    • Deputy IV : Gen. Anis Beanal
    • Deputy V : Let. Jimmy Wenda
    • Deputy VI : Brig. Ferdinan Warabai
    • Deputy VII : May. Lekagak Telenggen
  • Chief of Staff : May Gen. Terianus Sato
    • Deputy I : Yosafat Tabuni
    • Deputy II : Col. Amos Sorondanya