Government urged to take concrete steps on Irian Jaya

Government urged to take concrete steps on Irian Jaya

JAKARTA (JP): An Irian Jaya leader and a Communion of Churches
in Indonesia (PGI) official on Saturday urged the government to
take concrete measures to respond to growing demands for the
province's independence.

"We want a peaceful... solution for Irian Jaya. As the church
representatives, we sense the Irianese seriously want to be
independent. And for PGI, freedom is people's basic right," said
Phil Erari, the head of research and development at the Christian
organization, on Saturday.

In a joint media briefing, Phil and Amungme tribal chief Tom
Beanal called on the government to put Irian Jaya on its serious
political agenda.

"As church representatives, we've heard Irianese aspirations
based on the actual conditions... they live in misery. Many
dreadful incidents have happened there but remain covered," Phil
said.

Another dialog between Irian Jaya people and the government is
to be held this month as the next step in the search for a
solution to the fate of the Irianese, he said.

"Do not engineer things. Let the people speak up," Phil urged
the government.

He asserted the last dialog between the Irianese and President
B.J. Habibie in Jakarta on Feb. 26 had failed to uncover the
whole truth about the Irianese people's desire for independence.

Phil, who is a member of PGI's task force for Irian Jaya,
claimed that all 15 district representatives in the province
actually wanted independence, and aired this aspiration in the
meeting with Habibie.

Habibie reportedly did not give a direct response to the
demands. He told the delegation to reconsider and think about the
consequences of the option, saying abundant natural resources
alone were not a sufficient guarantee for their future.

Phil said he hoped that if Habibie's government failed to meet
people's aspirations, the next government would be able to
accommodate Irian Jaya's wish for independence.

"We understand the government cannot make any quick decisions
on Irian Jaya as this is a very serious political as well as
economic matter," he added.

Position

Tom Beanal, however, repeated his long-standing position that
the Irianese wanted to establish their own state. He described
how for decades they had been the victims of government
exploitation, receiving nothing in exchange for the vast wealth
extracted from the province.

"People were brutally killed and went missing in Papua (Irian
Jaya). This is an accumulation of 35 years of misery. We do not
want wide-ranging autonomy, we do not want a federal state.

"We want to be free.

"If the government doubts our ability to cope with the
consequences of standing on our own... it's too late to think in
such a way. We have been abandoned for so long, we have become
tough and we believe we can survive," Tom said.

Tom revealed the results of a recent survey on several areas
in Irian Jaya. A total of 14,000 questionnaires were distributed
among residents, and 13,775 were returned. Of these, 13,753
respondents said they wanted independence.

"The remaining said they want wide-ranging autonomy. Similar
surveys conducted by community leaders also found the people
desired freedom. So this has taken on a snowball effect," Tom
said.

Chairman of PGI Sularso Sopater told The Jakarta Post by phone
on Saturday the organization still supported Irian Jaya as a
province and an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia.

"But it does not mean that we are deaf to Irianese people's
mounting demands for independence. That is why we became a
facilitator to open a dialog between the people and the
government.

"Now it is up to the government to decide. We're here to
present the truth about people's aspirations."

On the basis of a United Nations-sponsored New York agreement
between the Netherlands, the former colonial power, and
Indonesia, West Irian became part of Indonesia in May 1963. Ten
years later, then president Soeharto renamed the province Irian
Jaya (Glorious Irian).

Separately, Territorial Assistant of Trikora/VIII Military
District Command Col. Wais Ningkeula said in Jayapura, the
capital of Irian Jaya, that Habibie's call for the Irianese to
"reflect" on their demands did not mean he was encouraging them
to seek independence. Rather, he speculated, Habibie wanted them
to develop the province and improve on people's welfare.

"Do not be obsessed (by independence)," Wais said, saying
Irian Jaya people have achieved some progress over the years.
(edt/34)