Govt must make choice on Papua

Govt must make choice on Papua

From Gatra

There was dissatisfaction among members of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta about the government's statement before House Commission II. The government is speeding up the process of splitting Papua into several provinces while the House is yet to ratify the legislation to this effect. The House is simply complying with the president's statement made in late August that this split should not be implemented in a hurry.

The government is defying logic in this case. On the one hand, it has issued a law for the speeding up of the process of enforcement Law No. 45/1999 on the splitting up of Papua province but the home minister has also said this law need not be subjected to Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua. The reason is that Law No. 21/2001 came later than Law No. 45 and is therefore ineffective. If this is the case, why should special autonomy be continued?

As a matter of fact, the government's stance towards this matter reflects its arrogant attitude towards Papuan matters and is intended to suppress the real aspirations of Papuans. As a result, the tribes in Papua have been embroiled in serious disputes over this matter. A lot of lives have been lost and material losses incurred. At this point the government must make a clear choice: To go on with its special autonomy program or to split Papua into several provinces.

MARSELUS DOU Timika, Papua