Forum seeks public debate on Papua
Forum seeks public debate on Papua
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A group of prominent figures established a forum on Tuesday to
increase public participation in the efforts to resolve the
problems of Papua, which has been affected by human rights abuses
and secessionist sentiment for decades.
The establishment of the Papua Forum has been inspired by a
lack of transparency in the way in which the government dealt
with the Aceh conflict recently, the forum's deputy chairman
Marzuki Darusman said.
"People feel they have been excluded by the government from
the efforts to settle the Aceh problem. Now that the President
has announced the government's intention of addressing the Papua
issue, we hope that this forum will be capable of ensuring
greater public participation," Marzuki, of the Golkar Party,
said.
In his address to the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) a
few weeks ago, President Susilo said that the government would
now turn its attention to Papua after the peace deal with the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to end three decades of bloodshed in the
country's westernmost province.
Albert Hasibuan, who chairs the new forum, said that it had
been established to show the public that the Papua issue was not
the exclusive domain of Papuans and the government, but also
concerned other Indonesians.
Other founders of the forum include H.S. Dillon, Sabam Siagian, Fikri
Jufri, Tommy Legowo, Zoemrotin K. Susilo, Asmara Nababan, Fajrul
Falaakh, Faisal Basri, Tuty Herati Nurhadi, Bara Hasibuan, Rizal
Sukma, Father J. Budi Hernawan OFM, Wiryono Sastrohandoyo,
Shanti Poesposoetjipto, Sjafii Maarif and Harry Tjan Silalahi.
Wiryono said Indonesians quickly unite when it comes to
problems with other countries but do the opposite in response to
domestic problems.
"There has also long been a mind-set that separatism must be
crushed (by the use of force). It's reform time now, meaning that
problems must be resolved through peaceful means," said the
former diplomat, who was the government's chief negotiator during
talks with GAM in 2002.
Albert said the forum planned to initiate debate on the
problems of Papua and to approach them from various perspectives.
The results would then be presented to the government.
Jakarta, Sabam added, must not attempt to oversimplify the
problems in Papua, which he said were complicated and had
persisted since the late 1940s.
The government has admitted that separatist sentiment in Papua
is the result of the unfair treatment meted out by Jakarta to
indigenous Papuans in the economic, political, social and
security fields.
Human rights violations have been widespread in Papua, but the
perpetrators have rarely been brought to book. Meanwhile, most
Papuans continue to live in abject poverty despite Papua's
mineral wealth.
Like Aceh, Papua has been granted special autonomy, but unlike
Aceh its implementation has consistently been thwarted by
Jakarta. To date, the government has yet to set up the Papuan
People's Assembly (MRP), even though its establishment is
mandated by law.
Through changes in the legislation, the government has ensured
that if and when it is set up, the MRP, which is supposed to have
a say in the political, social and economic affairs of the
province, will serve as little more than a cultural talking shop.
Separately in Jayapura, tribal leader Seblum Werbabkay called
on the Papua administration, the Papua General Elections
Commission (KPUD) and the Papua provincial council to hold a
gubernatorial election after the establishment of the MRP.
He said it was the MRP that had the power to determine those
eligible to contest the election under the Papuan Special
Autonomy Law (No. 21/2001).
"Otherwise, it may spark conflict," Seblum said.
The Papua issue recently came to the fore again following the
questioning in the U.S. of Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua in
the 2006-2007 foreign relations authorization bill, which has
been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and is now at
the committee stage in the Senate.