Government told to be wise over Papuan woes

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of State Administrative Reforms Rear Adm. (ret.) Freddy Numberi, an Irian Jaya native, urged his colleagues in the government to examine wisely the root of the problem in Irian Jaya and avoid the use of force in responding to calls for independence.

Freddy, who until a month ago was still governor of the province, described Sunday's independence declaration at the Papuan People's Congress as a culmination of frustration at past government oppression and poor treatment.

He maintained that the improvement of social welfare and better protection for the rights of the people in Indonesia's eastern most province would go a long way in changing negative perceptions toward the central government.

"They are treated unfairly and unsatisfactorily. They expressed it (in their protest) through the independence demands because their aspirations are never heard by the government," said Freddy after meeting with President Abdurrahman Wahid at Merdeka Palace on Tuesday.

"For the future, the government must change its policy," he added.

The President summoned Freddy, along with other Cabinet members such as Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Adm. Widodo A.S., Minister of Home Affairs Lt. Gen. (ret) Surjadi Soedirdja, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab to discuss the latest development in Irian Jaya.

To journalists after the meeting, Alwi reiterated that the independence declaration would not receive international support, including from neighboring countries such as Australia and Papua New Guinea.

"There is no single country which supports Papuan independence," Alwi claimed.

Separately, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais, expressed surprise at such a declaration of independence and urged the government to take preventive measures in deterring the rise of separatist tendencies.

"The Papuan People's Congress demand to separate from Indonesia is very shocking to us because it is against the Indonesian people's commitment to remain united," Amien said.

According to Amien, the government should be able to fulfill the people's demands against injustice, especially in social and economic affairs, which he described as the most urgent problems to be solved.

But the chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (KOSTRAD) Lt. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah sent a stern message to Irianese on Tuesday saying that the military would be ready to go into the province to weed out separatists.

"We will wait for the order from the government, House of Representatives and the public to go to Irian. We are ready to deal with those separatist movements," Agus said.

Meanwhile legislators Nur Hasan of the National Awakening Party and Bambang W. Suprapto of the Golkar Party both called on the government to take harsh measures against separatist activists fighting to separate the province from Indonesia.

Hasan said the government should also intensify its diplomacy and lobby the international community to win support and ensure that there is no question of the province remaining an integral part of Indonesia.

"Stern actions are needed to face the proindependence activ ists," he said, adding that the problem in Irian Jaya was very different from the East Timor issue.

Suprapto said that besides staging an all out battle with the separatist group, the government should also open its eyes to the people's poor condition in the province.

"The government should implement the special autonomy option and intensify economic development to improve the local people's social welfare," he said. (dja/44/rms/prb)