W. Papua: A self-fulfilling prophecy<\/p>\n
By Arian Ardie<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The tragic events that have occurred in Wamena,
\nWest Papua (Irian Jaya) over the past few weeks should have come
\nas a surprise to no one. What is perhaps surprising is that they
\nhave not occurred sooner.<\/p>\n
The central government, in its zeal to maintain territorial
\nintegrity, has only focused on the eradication of the symbols of
\ndiscontent rather than the root causes.<\/p>\n
The issues raised by the West Papuan people, respect for their
\nbasic human rights and the ability to have a voice in determining
\ntheir own future, are basic human aspirations shared by all.<\/p>\n
However, the government has not addressed the basic grievances
\nof the West Papuans. These include human rights abuses, a
\nconsistent policy of under-development by a central government
\nthat has profited from resource exploitation but done little in
\nterms of reinvestment in the province, and an inability to treat
\nthe West Papuans as equals under the law.<\/p>\n
What West Papuans are demanding is the opportunity to engage
\nin a comprehensive dialog to address these issues. They have
\npledged to pursue their aspirations in a non-violent manner
\nwithout the repressive tactics to which they have been subjected
\nunder the Soeharto regime.<\/p>\n
Admittedly, there have been calls for independence, but these
\nhave been couched in the context of free and open dialog, which
\nis an integral part of a true democracy to which Indonesia as a
\nnation now aspires.<\/p>\n
If the government were to engage in a meaningful dialog with
\nthe West Papuans it would find that the calls for independence
\nare more a call for emancipation rather than a call for
\nseparation.<\/p>\n
These aspirations and their true meaning cannot be understood
\nunless a dialog is undertaken. They cannot be understood if the
\nstarting premise of the government is the vilification of those
\nleaders who are calling for just treatment of their people and a
\nmore equitable share of the profits from the land on which they
\nlive.<\/p>\n
If the central government truly wants to keep West Papua as
\npart of the Republic of Indonesia it may wish to consider the
\nmanner in which it represents itself in the province.<\/p>\n
The government should project its presence not through
\nrepresentatives of the security forces, but rather through
\nteachers, nurses, doctors and community development workers --
\npeople who, through their work, can demonstrate the benefits of
\nbeing part of the greater Indonesian nation.<\/p>\n
Solving the conflict in West Papua will be a true test of
\nIndonesia as a democratic nation. The ability to integrate West
\nPapua into the patchwork quilt of the diverse races and cultures
\nthat make up this great country will test its commitment to
\ndemocracy, freedom of speech and human rights.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has the moral and intellectual foundation to do so.
\nIts national motto, Unity in Diversity, and the tenants of
\nPancasila provide that foundation if diligently applied. The
\nconcept of musyawarah mufakat, which translates into a
\ncomprehensive dialog based upon mutual respect, deliberation and
\nconsensus, is one that the West Papuans dearly desire.<\/p>\n
These are the concepts of nationalism that will keep West
\nPapua part of Indonesia, not force applied through the barrel of
\na gun.<\/p>\n
The central government still has the opportunity to use these
\nconcepts in a constructive manner for the benefit of the country
\nas well as the West Papuans. Failure to do so will only result in
\nanother self-fulfilling tragedy.<\/p>\n
In its desire to help the government move forward, the Papuan
\nPresidium is proposing a three-point plan, which it wishes to
\nincorporate into a memorandum of understanding with the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
The first point declares West Papua a zone of peace where
\nneither government troops nor West Papuans carry weapons. This
\ndoes not preclude the presence of the security forces, but does
\nrequire that they are unarmed, as would be the West Papuans.<\/p>\n
The second point calls for an open and comprehensive dialog in
\nwhich the issues would be discussed. If the dialog is
\ncomprehensive it should also include the issues of central
\ngovernment, namely the desire to maintain territorial integrity,
\nas well as the issues dear to the West Papuans.<\/p>\n
The third point calls for the continued development of West
\nPapua, something to which the Indonesian government is already
\ncommitted.<\/p>\n
These three points ultimately represent a vision of how the
\nWest Papuan conflict could be resolved. They also mirror
\nstatements that the President himself has made in the past, both
\nin public and in private. As such, they should not be
\nantithetical to the government's point of view or objectives.<\/p>\n
However, despite this conscientious attempt to avoid
\nconfrontation, the recent aggressive tactics employed by the
\npolice's elite Mobile Brigade indicate that there has been a
\nmajor shift in policy at the highest levels of government on how
\nto handle the problems in West Papua.<\/p>\n
The indications are that the government is now unwilling to
\nengage in dialog, and would rather use aggression to enforce its
\nwill. This course of action seems to be more in line with the
\nexcesses of the Soeharto regime than the reforms of the
\ndemocratically elected government of Abdurrahman Wahid and
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
The proposals put forth by the Papuan Presidium may not
\nnecessarily be the right answers, but at least they attempt to
\nfind answers. The plan presents a vision for the future that will
\nresult in a more democratic nation. This option is certainly
\nbetter than trying to maintain Indonesian integrity by force,
\nwhich has not worked in the past.<\/p>\n
It will only be a self-fulfilling prophecy for disaster.<\/p>\n
The writer has made frequent visits to West Papua and attended
\nthe Papuan National Congress as an observer. He is a senior
\nconsultant at Van Zorge, Heffernan and Associates, a Jakarta-
\nbased political risk consultancy.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/w-papua-a-self-fulfilling-prophecy-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}