General WPRA Amunggut Tabi stated in one of the briefings to his troops at the Central Headquarters of West Papua Revolutionary Army (WPRA) at Yako Village, Papua New Guinea that there are three poisons that have destroyed our campaigns to free West Papua, namely egoism, gossiping, and fear.

The first one is the Poison called “An-An”

In Lani language of West Papua it is called “An-an“, i.e., only me, nobody else. Let us remember two stories in the Bible One is the fall of the Lucifer as the Leader of all Praise and Worship before God. And the second is the fall of human race into sin.

Lucifer is the closest Angel to God of all angels. He said, “An Ala nda’ndak arikit!,” mbaregerak, which means he chose by himself, to become the same as God. He said, “I want to become the same as God!” This is called “an-an” or egocentric statement, egocentric ambition.

A second story of poisoning recorded the Bible can be found in Genesis Chapter 3. In the Garden of Eden, when Lucifer came to the first woman namely Eve and said.

5“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”…

Lucifer implanted the same egocentric disease of “becoming the same as God” from himself to human race. And this poison made Eve fall into sin and she ate the fruit. The story continues, Adam also wanted to become “God” and that was why he also ate the fruit.

This poison of “wanting to become God” is with us all human beings. Psychologically, it is called “ego”. This is why books have been written on how to control, how to address and even how to defeat the self ego before defeating the enemy outside. Ego is seen as the enemy of the self.

Gen. Tabi said egocentric leaders would think the following:

1. There is nobody else that can do best to free West Papua. Only myself that can free West Papua.
2. I do not trust anybody else, they are incapable to free West Papua. I am suspicious of those others being paid and used by Indonesia. I only trust myself, therefore, I am the only best person to free West Papua.
3. This is my effort, my work, my own idea, my concept, my property, therefore, I must be the leader, the commander, the chairman, the president, nobody else to take up this position, because I am the one who brought this struggle to this level of achievements.’
4. I am the only person in or from West Papua that is capable of doing things I am doing. Nothing will happen like this without me.

With these mindset, they wil say like this in public

1. I am the Commander in Chief, and I am the only one, nobody else, will free West Papua;
2. I am the Chair of the ULMWP, and I am the only one, nobody else, will free West Papua; if you replace me, you will not be free from colonialism, so propose whatever arguments to make me be in this position.
3. We are the only organisation that is capable of freeing West Papua, therefore, any organisation or groups that campaign for West Papua independence must join. Those who do not join us must be wiped out.

Ego is aPosion

Listen, I did not say this is a virus. I did not say this as a disease. But I said, this is a poison. Do you know what poison does?

Here is what Wikipedia, the Free Online Encyclopedia says about poison:

The term “poison” is often used colloquially to describe any harmful substance—particularly corrosive substances, carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens and harmful pollutants, and to exaggerate the dangers of chemicals. …

Similarly, Britanica.com definis poison as follows

Poison, in biochemistry, a substance, natural or synthetic, that causes damage to living tissues and has an injurious or fatal effect on the body, whether it is ingested, inhaled, or absorbed or injected through the skin.

Egocentric is a harmful substance in a collective struggle for collective goal such as Free West Papua Campaign. When everybody within the struggle are strongly attached to the struggle, then it becomes so personal, so egocentric and thus so destructive.

It is a “bio” and “chemistry”, it exists in living being, (bio) and it is chemical.It causes damage to living tissues. Egocentric individuals, egocentric leaders are poisonous. They destroy living tissues in a struggle.

A strong ego is important for self-confidence and strong leadership, but too much egoism is a poison.

Now, look inside you

Look at the military commanders in West Papua, look at the chair of the leaders within Free West Papua Campaign such as

1. The Leader of the Parliament,
2. The Leader of the ULMWP Exectutives,
3. The Leader of the OPM,
4. The President/ Prime Minister of the NRFPB,
5. the Chair/ Leaders of the KNPB, and others.

If you are one of those who do not want to follow the constitution of your organisations and want to prolong your leadership term, then you should acknowledge that you are egocentric leader.

Gen. Tabi continues,

If you are one of those who never change your position and always stay there for more than 10 years, then you are a poisonous fighter. And that egocentric leader is a poison in your your own struggle to free your country and people. The one defeating you is inside you, not outside you!.

So first, you attach every success and progress made so far in the history of West Papua independence movement to yourself, to the ego that is inside you.

And second, you, therefore, defend your ego as the “only one” that can finally free West Papua, and therefore, you want to become the chair, the spokesperson, the commander, the top leader for so long, over the your term. You make efforts to serve your egocentric leadership. Remember that by doing this, you become a poison in the overall movement.

• What should be done with the poison of egocentric leader?
• What should be done with the poison of egocentric military command?
• What are the second and third poisons?

[…to be continued….]