The Real ULMWP: The Only Legitimate Voice of the West Papuan Nation

 

The Real ULMWP: The Only Legitimate Voice of the West Papuan Nation

The true ULMWP exists in West Papua, rooted among its people, villages, and church leaders—committed to non-violence and moral integrity. Exile factions are detached and lack authority. Support should go to the homeland-based movement, the real voice of West Papuan aspirations.

Across the mountains, forests, and coastal plains of West Papua, a quiet and steadfast movement endures—a movement rooted in the soil, sustained by the people, and guided by a vision of peace and dignity. This is the real United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), the only legitimate representative body of the West Papuan people. It is not a product of social media visibility or diplomatic performance; it is the organic expression of a people who continue to struggle for their political and cultural survival under immense pressure.

In recent years, however, confusion has emerged within the international arena, where another entity—self-proclaimed and operating abroad, particularly from the United Kingdom—has attempted to appropriate the same name and to speak on behalf of the West Papuan nation. This confusion has not arisen from ideological depth but from political opportunism. The so-called ULMWP abroad is not a continuation of the homeland movement but a political syndicate organized by a handful of clans and individuals, detached from the lived realities of the Papuan struggle. It exists in comfort, in exile, and in rhetoric, while the true work of liberation continues within the homeland under risk and constraint.

The authentic ULMWP, based in West Papua itself, has built its foundations among the people and within the customary regions of the land. It operates in at least three of the seven wilayah adat (customary lands), uniting traditional leaders, church figures, youth movements, and local communities around a shared vision of justice. This ULMWP is not a distant organization but a living structure—its members walk the same roads as the villagers, share the same fears, and carry the same hopes. It is among the people, not above them, and its authority arises not from proclamation but from recognition and trust. There is no pyramidal organizational chart, nor any cult of leadership.

"If I have to choose between cowardice and violence, I would choose violence; but if I can choose between violence and non-violence, I choose non-violence." 

– Mahatma Gandhi

What defines the real ULMWP is its unwavering commitment to non-violence and moral integrity, while still respecting West Papuans who have taken up armed struggle. In a context of repression, militarization, and systemic marginalization, it chooses dialogue over confrontation, principle over propaganda, and community-building over spectacle.

The homeland-based ULMWP believes that the true path toward West Papuan freedom lies in peaceful struggle, patient negotiation, and sustained moral resistance. Its leaders and supporters understand that the liberation of a people cannot come at the cost of their humanity. After more than six decades of armed struggle, history has shown that violence has not brought West Papua any closer to justice or genuine freedom. The militarization of the land has only deepened suffering, displaced communities, and provided justification for further repression. In contrast, moral resistance rooted in truth and compassion offers a path that can win not only political recognition but also the world’s conscience.

This principle of non-violence does not mean silence or submission. On the contrary, it represents the deepest form of courage—the decision to resist without hatred, to speak truth without vengeance, and to continue the struggle even when recognition is denied. The real ULMWP has worked tirelessly to establish community education programs, coordinate advocacy for political prisoners, and rebuild networks of solidarity between the seven customary regions. In the highlands, in the coastal zones, in the churches, and in the student dormitories, its message is consistent: West Papua’s freedom must be achieved through unity, discipline, and peaceful determination.

Meanwhile, the so-called ULMWP in the United Kingdom operates in an entirely different reality. Detached from the homeland and its people, it functions as a political syndicate, more concerned with visibility and factional advantage than with the moral and strategic unity of the West Papuan nation. Its base of support is narrow, often confined to familial or clan alliances, and its leadership structure lacks accountability to the people inside the territory. While it may speak eloquently in international spaces, its words are empty of the authority that comes from shared sacrifice. A liberation movement cannot exist as a stage performance; it must live and breathe in the soil of the people’s pain.

The international community must now make a moral and political choice. To support the real ULMWP—the one based in West Papua—is to stand with the people themselves. To continue endorsing the exiled syndicate is to participate in the dilution of the West Papuan struggle, turning it into a shadow play of politics rather than a genuine movement for self-determination. The legitimate ULMWP inside the homeland represents not only the continuity of the West Papuan nation’s political will but also its moral center: a movement that combines courage with restraint, unity with humility, and political purpose with human compassion.

Within West Papua, the real ULMWP continues its work quietly and effectively. It organizes local councils, educates communities on rights and governance, and strengthens customary leadership in the face of external manipulation. These are not the acts of opportunists but of true nation-builders—men and women who understand that the liberation of West Papua is not a media campaign but a generational responsibility. They have chosen the difficult path: to remain with their people, to share their suffering, and to build from within rather than to command from abroad.

For international observers, journalists, and human rights defenders, clarity is now essential. The future of West Papua depends on solidarity grounded in truth. The ULMWP based in West Papua is the only legitimate voice of the Papuan nation. It embodies the moral authority and collective mandate of the people. The other version—external, fragmented, and self-serving—must be recognized for what it is: a political syndicate that uses the symbols of liberation without bearing its costs.

"One people, one soul" is our national slogan. Indeed, the struggle for West Papua’s freedom has always been more than a political project; it is a spiritual and moral vocation, born of love for the land and fidelity to the truth. The real ULMWP continues this vocation with patience and humility. It is the conscience of a nation that refuses to disappear. Its members do not seek fame; they seek justice. They do not shout for power; they work for peace. And in that quiet perseverance lies the future of West Papua.

The world must learn to listen not to the noise of ambition but to the silence of integrity. The heart of the West Papuan struggle beats not in foreign capitals but in the villages, the mountains, and the sacred forests of the homeland. That is where the real ULMWP lives. That is where freedom begins.

Disclaimer for the International Public

The international community, particularly those who follow the issue of West Papua, is urged to approach this struggle with discernment and integrity. Do not be misled by sensational voices or social media theatrics that seek attention rather than justice. True movements do not need noise to prove their depth. As an old Papuan saying reminds us, “Rumbling water is shallow water.”

The real ULMWP works quietly, patiently, and faithfully among the people who live the struggle every day. Support must therefore be grounded in truth, not in performance; in solidarity with those who risk everything in the homeland, not with those who speak loudly from afar. Authenticity in the West Papuan struggle is not measured by volume but by courage, sacrifice, and rootedness in the land itself.

UNITED LIBERATION MOVEMENT FOR WEST PAPUA - ULMWP

 Sekretariat Kantor Pusat Koordinasi Dalam Negeri

Jln. Mapilema, No. 11 

Wamena 

Kabupaten Jayawijaya-West Papua. 

Email: ulmwp@protonmail.com

 

For media inquiries, please contact Markus Haluk:

Phone: +62 852 4444 250

Email: hmarkushaluk@yahoo.com