Analyzing the vice president's visit to West Irian Jaya province

Analyzing the vice president's visit to West Irian Jaya province

Neles Tebay
Urbaniana, Rome

Last week, Vice President Jusuf Kalla visited West Irian Jaya.
where he acknowledged the province continues to lack a strong
legal base. During the visit, the vice president, who is also the
head of the Golkar party, was accompanied by Golkar's candidate
for the governor of the province.

He delivered two messages there:

First, the visit indicated that the Golkar party, under
Kalla's leadership, is committed to maintaining the province of
West Irian Jaya, despite its contradiction with law no.21/2001 on
special autonomy for Papua province and the amended Constitution.

Second, the visit reflects the split between President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono and Kalla.

The President considers the Papuan autonomy law a solution
and, thus, remains committed to implementing the law.

His commitment alone should oblige the vice president and the
Cabinet to implement the law.

Kalla's visit to West Irian Jaya province conveys conflicting
messages. Instead of supporting the Papuan autonomy law, Kalla
insists on maintaining the province of West Irian Jaya. He even
wants to nominate a Golkar party candidate as governor of the
province.

The vice president is not alone. He is supported by some
powerful institutions and government officials, including the
home affairs minister and Golkar.

They can inhibit at any time the President's efforts to
implement the Papuan autonomy law.

There are two consequences to this:

First, the split between the President and the vice president
will creates difficulties for Indonesian foreign diplomacy.

From 2001 until the present, the foreign minister has been
telling the international community that the Indonesian
government is committed to implementing the Papuan autonomy law.
The minister, therefore, has repeatedly asked foreign governments
not to support the Papuan separatist movement but the Papuan
autonomy law if they are truly committed to maintaining
Indonesia's territorial integrity.

So far, the foreign minister has been successful, because the
United States, the European Union (EU), and the Pacific Island
Forum (PIF) have explicitly expressed support for the full and
proper implementation of the Papuan autonomy law, as a
manifestation of their support of Indonesian territorial
integrity.

However, the vice president's commitment to maintaining the
province of West Irian Jaya could generate confusion among
foreign governments. They might well ask themselves: As the
implementation of the Papuan autonomy law is not fully supported
by the central government, except by President Susilo, what would
be the use of supporting the law?

As a result, while continuing to support Indonesian
territorial integrity the foreign governments could withdraw
their support for the Papuan autonomy law. However this would not
mean the foreign countries supported the Papuan movement for
independence.

Second, non-governmental organizations around the world who
are united in international solidarity groups for West Papua will
use the split between the President and vice president as well as
the inconsistency in implementing the Papuan autonomy law as
ammunition in lobbying their respective governments.

In order to maintain international support for the law, three
things need to be emphasized:

First, the Indonesian government should be faithful to the
Constitution of the nation and its own laws, including the Papuan
autonomy law. For violating the Constitution and the law,
whatever justifications are given, can only result in confusion
and conflict.

Second, implementing the Papuan autonomy law is not only the
duty of the central government but also of the Papuans. Hence,
the government should involve the Papuans in determining the most
appropriate way to implement the law.

Third, to prevent the worst-case scenario, the central
government and Papuans need to engage in peaceful talks on how to
implement properly, fully and effectively, Law no 21/2001 on
special autonomy for Papua.

The central government's proposal for a third party to
facilitate the talks would meet with the approval and support of
the Papuans and the international community.

The writer is a post-graduate student at Pontifical University
in Urbaniana, Rome. He can be reached at nelestebay@hotmail.com.