Govt postpones establishing MRP indefinitely<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government has delayed indefinitely the establishment of the
\nmuch-awaited Papuan People's Assembly (MRP), blaming a dispute
\namong local religious leaders and local authorities over the
\ncomposition of the assembly.<\/p>\n
The government earlier promised to complete the selection
\nprocess of 42 assembly members last week and to install them on
\nOct. 15. The inauguration was earlier scheduled for Oct. 3 and 8,
\nbut was postponed again later.<\/p>\n
However, the director general of national integrity at the
\nMinistry of Home Affairs, Sudarsono Hardjosoekarto, said the
\nMRP's composition was still problematic as the Protestants and
\nCatholics had yet to decide on their representation.<\/p>\n
\"The Papua authorities are, meanwhile, still debating whether
\nthe Protestant groups should be given nine seats out of the total
\nassembly members, while the remaining three seats and two seats
\nrespectively will be allotted to the Catholic and Muslim groups,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\"Another suggestion is that the Protestant group be
\nrepresented with seven seats, while the Catholic and Muslim
\ngroups get four and two seats respectively.\"<\/p>\n
The Special Autonomy Law No. 21\/2001 for Papua mandates the
\ncentral government and the Papuan administration set up the MRP
\nas a powerful political body to represent community groups,
\nincluding tribes, religions and women's groups.<\/p>\n
However, the law does not specify the composition of each
\ngrouping in the assembly.<\/p>\n
Under the law, the MRP is authorized to deal with problems in
\nthe troubled province, from human rights abuses to developing
\nthe province.<\/p>\n
Sudarsono said the central government and the Papuan
\nauthorities were intensifying their coordination to complete the
\nprocess next week.<\/p>\n
\"I heard the Papuan authorities would complete the selection
\nprocess by this week, and the central government would provide
\nany assistance to support them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Critics have said that the government was buying time setting
\nup the MRP as it appeared reluctant to give the body wide-ranging
\npowers as mandated by the autonomy law.<\/p>\n
To confuse the situation, the Megawati government had earlier
\nmoved to separate Papua into three smaller provinces: Papua, West
\nIrian Jaya and Central Irian Jaya. After protests that the move
\nwas against the special autonomy law, the Constitutional Court
\nlater ruled that only Papua and West Irian Jaya were legitimate
\nprovinces.<\/p>\n
Sudarsono said the central government and the Papuan
\nauthorities were intensifying their efforts to adjust the
\nassembly's role, so \"the presence of MRP would be in line with
\nthe function of the Papuan administration within the framework of
\nthe special autonomy law\".<\/p>\n
However, he did not elaborate as to how the central government
\nwas moving to restrict the MRP's political role in Papua.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-postpones-establishing-mrp-indefinitely-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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