Civil emergency in Papua?<\/p>\n
News about the possibility that the central government might
\nimpose a civil emergency in Papua province has caused strong
\nreactions in several quarters. The source of the news was Effendy
\nChoirie, of the National Awakening Party (PKB), who chaired a
\nclosed meeting of Commission I of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
He is the deputy chairman of the committee assigned to handle
\nmatters related to foreign affairs, defense and security, and
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
After the closed meeting some time last week, he told a
\nreporter that the possibility of implementing a state of
\nemergency in Papua province was indeed discussed. He said that a
\nnumber of commission members returning from a visit to the
\neasternmost province of the Republic were quite concerned about
\nthe security situation there.<\/p>\n
He himself did not agree that an integrated operation as is
\nbeing implemented in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam should also be
\napplied in Papua. The current Aceh operation consists of a two-
\npronged approach, namely a military operation against the
\nseparatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), and a social-economic drive
\nto reconstruct destroyed villages and burned down schools.<\/p>\n
A civil emergency is the stage before martial law is imposed
\nin a province beset by serious conflict. Under a 1959 law, the
\npresident, as head of the Civil Emergency Authority, is given
\nvirtually unlimited powers to do whatever is deemed necessary to
\nrestore peace and order. Those powers include imposing curfews,
\nnews blackouts, banning public speeches and gatherings, isolating
\ncertain regions affected by conflicts, and arresting people
\nwithout a warrant. A provincial governor could be assigned as
\nadministrator, although his powers would be limited as the police
\nwould have a more prominent role. Effendy himself did not see the
\nnecessity of imposing a civil emergency in Papua. In his opinion,
\nthe full implementation of special autonomy as stipulated in Law
\nNo.21\/2001, including the formation of a Papua People's Council
\n(MRP), would be more important.<\/p>\n
It is interesting to note that Papua Governor J.E. Solossa,
\nwho was a functionary of the Golkar party, has denied that the
\nsituation in his province is serious and warrants the imposition
\nof a civil emergency. The governor stated In unequivocal terms
\nthat there was no need to apply a civil emergency. \"If forced, it
\nwould only create possibilities for the spread of Papua
\nseparatism caused by human rights violations,\" Solossa said in a
\nrecent statement.<\/p>\n
Another critical voice was raised by Bambang Widjojanto, who
\nwas at one time director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation
\n(YLBHI) in Irian Jaya (Papua). He also did not see any
\njustification for applying a civil emergency in Papua. As a
\nmatter of fact, he thought that it could worsen the situation in
\nthe province. According to Bambang Widjojanto the implementation
\nof a civil emergency in Papua would only create new problems,
\nwhile old problems would remain unresolved. It is an open secret
\nthat some observers view the situation in Papua from the
\nconspiracy angle, as a means to weaken the Golkar party in Papua,
\nand to maintain a certain level of conflict in the province in
\norder to postpone the full implementation of autonomy.<\/p>\n
Despite the many failings of the Abdurrahman Wahid
\nadministration, at least it was very understanding of the wishes
\nand aspirations of the indigenous population of that easternmost
\nIndonesian province. On the other hand, it is not too early to
\nconclude that President Megawati's most serious shortcoming is
\nthe political mismanagement of the Papua situation. Sutradara
\nGinting, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission I
\nknown for his wisdom and balanced attitude, has appealed for
\nrestraint since no concrete decisions have been made.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, with only six weeks to go before the legislative
\nelections commence and the conclusion in October of the
\ngovernment of President Megawati Soekarnoputri, constant
\nvigilance is warranted to avoid possible unpleasant surprises
\nthat could upset peace and order in Papua. In particular, this
\ntime Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono had better be more alert in order to
\nprevent novel proposals being surreptitiously presented to the
\nPresident and signed without his knowledge. Papua province should
\nnot be allowed to become a hunting ground for intelligence
\nagencies and ambitious party officials.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/civil-emergency-in-papua-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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