Civil emergency in Papua?

Civil emergency in Papua?

News about the possibility that the central government might
impose a civil emergency in Papua province has caused strong
reactions in several quarters. The source of the news was Effendy
Choirie, of the National Awakening Party (PKB), who chaired a
closed meeting of Commission I of the House of Representatives.

He is the deputy chairman of the committee assigned to handle
matters related to foreign affairs, defense and security, and
information.

After the closed meeting some time last week, he told a
reporter that the possibility of implementing a state of
emergency in Papua province was indeed discussed. He said that a
number of commission members returning from a visit to the
easternmost province of the Republic were quite concerned about
the security situation there.

He himself did not agree that an integrated operation as is
being implemented in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam should also be
applied in Papua. The current Aceh operation consists of a two-
pronged approach, namely a military operation against the
separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), and a social-economic drive
to reconstruct destroyed villages and burned down schools.

A civil emergency is the stage before martial law is imposed
in a province beset by serious conflict. Under a 1959 law, the
president, as head of the Civil Emergency Authority, is given
virtually unlimited powers to do whatever is deemed necessary to
restore peace and order. Those powers include imposing curfews,
news blackouts, banning public speeches and gatherings, isolating
certain regions affected by conflicts, and arresting people
without a warrant. A provincial governor could be assigned as
administrator, although his powers would be limited as the police
would have a more prominent role. Effendy himself did not see the
necessity of imposing a civil emergency in Papua. In his opinion,
the full implementation of special autonomy as stipulated in Law
No.21/2001, including the formation of a Papua People's Council
(MRP), would be more important.

It is interesting to note that Papua Governor J.E. Solossa,
who was a functionary of the Golkar party, has denied that the
situation in his province is serious and warrants the imposition
of a civil emergency. The governor stated In unequivocal terms
that there was no need to apply a civil emergency. "If forced, it
would only create possibilities for the spread of Papua
separatism caused by human rights violations," Solossa said in a
recent statement.

Another critical voice was raised by Bambang Widjojanto, who
was at one time director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation
(YLBHI) in Irian Jaya (Papua). He also did not see any
justification for applying a civil emergency in Papua. As a
matter of fact, he thought that it could worsen the situation in
the province. According to Bambang Widjojanto the implementation
of a civil emergency in Papua would only create new problems,
while old problems would remain unresolved. It is an open secret
that some observers view the situation in Papua from the
conspiracy angle, as a means to weaken the Golkar party in Papua,
and to maintain a certain level of conflict in the province in
order to postpone the full implementation of autonomy.

Despite the many failings of the Abdurrahman Wahid
administration, at least it was very understanding of the wishes
and aspirations of the indigenous population of that easternmost
Indonesian province. On the other hand, it is not too early to
conclude that President Megawati's most serious shortcoming is
the political mismanagement of the Papua situation. Sutradara
Ginting, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission I
known for his wisdom and balanced attitude, has appealed for
restraint since no concrete decisions have been made.

Nevertheless, with only six weeks to go before the legislative
elections commence and the conclusion in October of the
government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri, constant
vigilance is warranted to avoid possible unpleasant surprises
that could upset peace and order in Papua. In particular, this
time Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had better be more alert in order to
prevent novel proposals being surreptitiously presented to the
President and signed without his knowledge. Papua province should
not be allowed to become a hunting ground for intelligence
agencies and ambitious party officials.