Governor warns of drawn-out rebellion in Papua

Governor warns of drawn-out rebellion in Papua

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta

The central government's reluctance to implement Law No. 21/2001
on special autonomy status for Papua might incite a separatist
movement in the province, a court was told.

"The government's wishy-washy policies have made Papuans doubt
the central government's commitment to developing the province,"
Papua Governor J.P. Salossa told the Constitutional Court on
Thursday.

Salossa was testifying at a Constitutional Court hearing on
the partition of Papua province in 2003.

Chairman of the Papua Legislative Council (DPRD) John Ibo had
filed for judicial review of the government's decision to
partition Papua into three new provinces -- Papua, Central Irian
and West Irian.

The government appeared to be reluctant to implement the
autonomy law to the fullest, which calls for the establishment of
the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) to approve all policies issued
by the provincial administration. The assembly does not exist as
yet.

"I have tried to discuss it with the President, but to no
avail," Salossa said.

The hearing was the culmination of a series of debates on the
separation of Papua.

In a previous hearing, Jayapura Bishop Leo Labalaja also
testified that all elements of Papua society would likely join
hands in a movement to separate from Indonesia if the government
insisted on splitting the province.

However, acting West Irian Governor Brig. Gen. (ret) Abraham
Atururi, who supports the partition, claimed in another hearing
that the partition would benefit West Irian Jaya residents, whose
province is well-endowed with natural resources.

Papuans, Salossa said, doubted the commitment of the central
government to develop the province after President Megawati
Soekarnoputri issued a presidential instruction in 2003 to speed
up enforcement of the law on the province's partition.

"They consider it against the law on special autonomy for
Papua. If the government is afraid of the establishment of the
MRP, which might lessen the authority of the central government,
Papuans are ready to talk about it, but don't ignore it," he
said.

The Papuan government submitted to the Ministry of Home
Affairs the proposal on the planned MRP but the ministry has yet
to endorse it.

The central government has delayed many times the
establishment of the body, apparently through fear that the
assembly would encourage Papuans to demand independence.

Law No. 45/1999, which divides the province into three, was
issued by the government of president B.J. Habibie in a bid to
reduce calls for freedom for Papua following a meeting with some
100 Papuan leaders, who threatened to secede from the country.

Unfortunately, legislators involved in deliberations on Law
No. 21/2001 failed to include an article stipulating that Law No.
45/1999 was not legally binding.

The Constitutional Court, which started to hear the case
months ago, has not yet been able to reach a conclusion.

"We must be very careful in handling this -- it's a delicate
matter," Constitutional Court President Jimly Asshidiqie said.

He revealed that Papuans had placed high hopes on the
government when it revoked Law No. 45/1999 on the separation of
Papua into three provinces.

"They believed that the law would support their desire for
self-development, making decisions for their own good," Salossa
said.