Irian Jaya cannot go the way of East Timor<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE: Last Friday, \"independence\" observances by
\nseparatists' supporters in the remote eastern Indonesian province
\nof Irian Jaya passed with little trouble.<\/p>\n
It is an indication of how fragile the unitary state is that
\nthe relative calm, bar some arrests, is celebrated as some sort
\nof success. Tension there had been, but the Indonesian military
\nwas prepared.<\/p>\n
For days before the event, security forces put out a clear
\nsignal with their presence, which was quite considerable in
\nJayapura, the provincial capital. They were restrained, the
\nmessage being that the locals could proceed with their ceremonies
\nif they stayed calm.<\/p>\n
On the day itself, the hoisting of the independence movement's
\nflag by tribal chiefs went unimpeded.<\/p>\n
It helped that four separatist leaders had been arrested in
\nthe preceding week. Among them was Theys Eluay, head of the pro-
\nindependence Papua Presidium Council. President Abdurrahman Wahid
\nhad warned that no breakaway attempt would be tolerated, on pain
\nof tough military action.<\/p>\n
It is possible the crackdown in the nearby Maluku islands and
\ndistant Aceh, where disturbances have been far worse, had an
\nimpact on the Irianese.<\/p>\n
As it turned out, the main rally in Jayapura was so orderly
\neven the provincial police went up on the stage to thank the
\ncrowd for cooperating with the authorities.<\/p>\n
The curious thing about the proceedings is that they
\nnationally marked a desire for freedom that was expressed 31
\nyears ago - on Dec 1, 1961!<\/p>\n
That was when Irian Jaya (or West Papua as it was known),
\nwhich shares a huge island with Papua New Guinea, broke free of
\nthe Dutch colonial administration. Indonesia annexed it in 1963,
\nand it was formalized in a United Nations plebiscite in 1969
\nwhich confirmed Irian Jaya as part of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Although an Irianese people's congress had set last Friday as
\nthe deadline for achieving substantive sovereignty, this was
\nnever taken seriously. The tribal chiefs' declaration of 1961 is
\nin essence the Irianese Melanesians' spiritual link with their
\npre-Indonesia past. Dec 1 observances had become an historical
\noddity, more or less.<\/p>\n
What relevance the recent past has now is that the \"loss\" of
\nEast Timor through an act of folly by President B.J. Habibie has
\nchanged the equation drastically.<\/p>\n
Irian Jaya cannot go the way of Timor, or the consequences to
\nIndonesia - and South-east Asia - can be serious.<\/p>\n
This is why the apparent change in military stance, at least
\nto the extent evident during the Jayapura observance week, is a
\nhelpful sign.<\/p>\n
Heavy-handedness is different from firmness in controlling
\nrebellious tendencies. Thus far, the regional command has shown
\nadmirable restraint in keeping order in Irian Jaya, even in the
\nface of provocations from rebel elements operating near the
\nborder with Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\n
The guerrilla movement has been low-grade despite the example
\nof the East Timor secession, and this is fortunate.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has promised Irian Jaya more autonomy in May, under
\nwhich the local administration will have more control over
\nresources and regional affairs.<\/p>\n
It is crucial that devolution be handled well, and more
\nbenefits accrue to the local population for the considerable
\nrevenue the province's gold and copper reserves bring to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
It would be a serious miscalculation, possibly even fatal, if
\nIndonesia gets complacent over this outer province on the
\nunderstanding that there is no international support for Irian
\nJaya independence.<\/p>\n
East Timor is a painful lesson. It was firmly ensconced within
\nthe Indonesian family, and there was hardly a clamor by foreign
\ngovernments and lobbyists for its deliverance. But look what
\nhappened.<\/p>\n
-- The Straits Times\/Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/irian-jaya-cannot-go-the-way-of-east-timor-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }