Government told to be wise over Papuan woes

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)