Faster devolution enhances peace in Papua

Faster devolution enhances peace in Papua

Endy M. Bayuni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Trouble has been brewing in Papua, located at the other
extreme of the Indonesian archipelago from Aceh where war with
separatist rebels is imminent, but a U.S.-based organization
believes that the government in Jakarta could reduce tension in
Papua, and use it as a model for conflict prevention in other
regions.

So what is the answer for easing tension in Papua, where, as
in Aceh, there is an equally strong demand for independence?

By accelerating the full implementation of a 2000 law that
gives Papua a special autonomy status with widespread authority
as well as responsibility in managing its own affairs, according
to the Council for Foreign Relations, a New York-based
independent organization.

The council, in its report posted on its website (www.cfr.org)
on Wednesday, proposed that the international community,
including Indonesia's main donor countries, take a greater
interest in helping Jakarta resolve the challenges it faces in
Papua.

It proposes a "Preventive Development Program" linking
assistance for social and economic development programs with
conflict prevention measures by Jakarta.

The report was prepared by the council's Center for Preventive
Action. Chairing the center's Indonesian commission is Adm. (ret)
Dennis C. Blair, who as former commander-in-chief of the
Honolulu-based U.S. Pacific Command is familiar with Indonesia
and its problems.

Papua, one of Indonesia's wealthiest provinces in terms of
natural resources, is home to some of the country's most
impoverished people. The 2001 UNDP Human Development Index ranked
Papua as the second poorest province behind West Nusa Tenggara.

Papua is a former Dutch colony like the rest of Indonesia, but
unlike the other territories, it only became part of the republic
in 1969, under controversial circumstances, after a lengthy
military campaign launched by Jakarta against the Netherlands.

Jakarta has, from the beginning, had to deal with a low-level
insurgency movement launched by tiny bands of armed rebels. Along
with the democratization process since the fall of the Soeharto
regime in 1998, popular expressions for an independent Papuan
state have been made in the open. The Papuan Presidium Council,
gathering scholars, politicians and activists, was formed in 2001
with the agenda of pushing for Papuan's independence by peaceful
means.

Gross injustices, rampant human rights violations, and
economic inequality between Papuans and migrants, who now made up
about 40 percent of the province's 2.3 million population, have
fueled resentment, which in turn, fires up aspirations for an
independent Papuan state.

These problems were highlighted by the report, which agreed
that these could be redressed by the full implementation of the
Special Autonomy Law.

"Unless the people of Papua are accorded greater self-
governance and more benefit from the development of Papua's
natural resources, continued conflict could cause a spiral of
violence in Papua.

"It could also have a destabilizing effect elsewhere in
Indonesia by encouraging ethnic, religious and separatist
violence across the vast archipelago," the report said.

Council president Leslie H. Gelb is more forceful in his
foreword to the report, saying that "achieving sustainable peace
in Papua would build momentum to address other conflicts across
Indonesia, and that Papua could serve as a model for conflict
prevention more broadly."

The report said the implementation of the special autonomy law
had been hindered by competing priorities in Jakarta, a heritage
of mutual distrust, and due to lack of training and experience,
inadequate capacity in Papua to handle greater responsibilities.

The report criticized President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
decision in January to split Papua intro three provinces, noting
that this had exacerbated tensions, and increased the prospects
for conflicts.

It called on Jakarta to quickly help the establishment of the
Papua's People Assembly (MRP), as required by the special
autonomy law, and stressed that any reorganization of the
province must have the consent of this assembly.

The council suggested that donor countries and agencies use
the "carrot and stick" approach to encourage Jakarta to implement
the reforms set out in the autonomy law.

"To use scarce development resources most wisely, the
commission believes that development assistance can be sharpened
by linking conflict prevention goals with socio-economic
development programs, or `preventive development'.

"This would enable stakeholders to better coordinate and work
more effectively with Indonesian government and Papuan
officials."

The European Commission should propose and secure adoption of
this preventive development program at the next meeting of the
Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), noting the European
Union's earlier conflict prevention mission in Indonesia, it
said.

Given Japan's role as the largest aid donor to Indonesia, the
report said Tokyo should host a donor conference to discuss this
new approach to development.

The report was highly critical of the Indonesian Military
(TNI) performance in maintaining security in Papua and urged the
phasing out of the practices of using TNI forces to protect
companies operating the province, a job that should be carried
out by local security organizations.

The council underlined the U.S. policy of supporting
Indonesia's efforts toward consolidating democratic reforms and
enhancing national stability as necessary to protect America's
economic interests in Indonesia.

It noted the US$25 billion in investments made by American
companies to date, including the huge operation of Freeport
McMoran Copper and Gold Inc. in Papua, and the $3.3 billion in
American exports to Indonesia in 2001.