Council rejects Irian provincial division

Council rejects Irian provincial division

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The Irian Jaya Legislative Council on
Saturday rejected the central government's policy to divide the
province into three new provinces, and demanded the next
president revoke the decree installing two new governors for the
territory.

The council concluded in a plenary session that the government
must listen to the people's aspiration. It was suggested that the
process must begin from the village level and then move up to the
district and regency levels.

"We have to care for people ... they've been staging mass
protests and they deserved to be heard," Council Speaker Nataniel
Kaiway said.

The government elected to divide Irian Jaya into three
provinces to ensure more equitable development in the huge
territory. The Ministry of Home Affairs appointed on Tuesday
Herman Monim as governor of Central Irian Jaya and Abraham O.
Ataruri as governor of West Irian Jaya. Former Irian Jaya
governor Freddy Numberi has been appointed governor of East Irian
Jaya.

Freddy said he had conveyed the message to Jakarta and had
requested the government delay implementation of the new policy.
(34/edt)