Govt must be 'consistent on Papua'

Govt must be 'consistent on Papua'

The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Jakarta

The central government must consistently implement the Special
Autonomy Law in Papua in order to help quell the demands for
independence for the resource-rich province, provincial governor
Jacobus Perviddya Solossa said.

He said that special autonomy was aimed at effectively
restoring the dignity of the Papuan people.

"The special autonomy granted by the central government in
2001 to counter the secessionist movement and make amends for
past mistakes is actually a form of internal self-determination.
It is aimed at lifting up the dignity of the Papuan people," he
said at the launching of his book here on Monday.

The book entitled: Otonomi Khusus Papua Mengangkat Martabat
Rakyat Papua di Dalam NKRI (Papuan special autonomy improves the
dignity of the Papuan people within the Unitary Republic of
Indonesia) was based on his dissertation for his doctorate from
Padjadjaran University, Bandung, West Java, in May.

The book launch comes as top central government officials are
struggling to overcome renewed demands both in the province and
overseas for the separation of Papua from Indonesia. The Papuan
people long suffered as the central government had been accused
of pillaging the province's natural resources, while economic
development remains scant and human rights abuses rampant.

But despite the introduction of special autonomy more than
four years ago, resentment lingers as the central government has
been accused of inconsistency, particularly as regards the 2004
decision to partition Papua into two provinces: Papua and West
Irian Jaya. The recent launching of a report in the Netherlands
questioning the validity of the UN-sponsored 1969 "referendum" on
the integration of Papua into Indonesia provides new ammunition
for the secessionist movement.

The central government last week was forced to cancel the
first regional election in West Irian Jaya amid protests from
Papuan leaders, including those sitting in the newly-established
Papuan People's Council (MRP), a powerful political body
representing the interests of Papuan people, who said that the
creation of the new province violated the Special Autonomy Law as
Papuan leaders had never been consulted.

Solossa said that old problems had resurfaced over the last
few months as the central government was inconsistent in
implementing the Special Autonomy Law, which provides greater
power for the Papua administration to manage its social and
economic affairs, and a greater share of the revenue raised in
the province from natural resources.

"For example, the government has not disbursed payments from
the General Allocation Fund (DAU) on time; the government has not
provided special funds for infrastructural development; and has
not been transparent about how much its gets from natural
resources," said the governor.

"These kind of problems would not emerge if the government set
up a truth and reconciliation commission and held fair trials of
those guilty of violating human rights, gives more special
autonomy funds and provided better education and health
services," he said.

He said Papuan people had no objection to the province's
partition provided this was done in consultation with the Papuan
people.

"Papua, which is 3.5 times bigger than Java, should be
developed into five provinces and the government should appoint a
coordinating minister or a senior governor to ensure coordination
among the provinces," he said.

Meanwhile, in Jayapura, capital of Papua, Hermanus Indow,
chairman of the Front for the Establishment of West Irian Jaya,
called on the MRP to give a positive response to Jakarta's recent
move to prepare an umbrella law for the province to allow it to
hold a gubernatorial election.

He also said the MRP should treat the new province as the
equal of Papua and facilitate dialog to ease differences and gaps
between the two provinces.