Govt to proceed with Papua split, warned pf dire result

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An expert warned on Monday of more troubles as a result of the government's failure to involve local participation in its plan to divide Papua into three provinces.

Sociologist Daniel Dhakidae suggested that the government be prepared to revise the plan or even drop it as opposition to the partition was quite serious.

"Listen to the Papuans because this is a complicated case. Wrong moves will create more troubles in the future," he said after a seminar on regional autonomy at the National Institute of Science (LIPI) here.

He said the division of the province not only affected the local culture but the politics and economy due to the fact that Papua is a home to a huge amount of natural resources.

Days of clashes rocked the Papuan town of Timika last month following the declaration of Central Irian Jaya province. At least three people were known to have been killed as a direct result of the week-long conflict.

Daniel suggested that the government focus on the creation of more regencies in Papua instead of dividing the province into three.

"The real autonomy is supposedly in the hands of regencies, which will exercise their authority to provide better public services for their people," Daniel said.

He added that autonomous regencies had less possibility of demanding separation from the unitary Republic of Indonesia as compared to provinces which were granted autonomy.

Separately, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said the government would proceed with its plan to split Papua into three provinces despite the controversy, claiming the government had a legal basis to do it.

He said the government so far had no intention of dropping Law No. 45/1999 which stipulates the partition of vast Irian Jaya, the former name of Papua, into three provinces.

Hari played down the decision made by the previous government of President Abdurrahman Wahid to put the implementation of the law on hold due to a lack of popular support among Papuans, calling it a political decision.

The minister also said a team in charge of synchronizing legislation on Papua had proposed adjustments to Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua, particularly on the establishment of Papua People's Assembly (MRP).

The assembly, he said, would serve as a cultural body, representing women, local figures and religious leaders, but without decision-making power.

He said the special autonomy would be given also to the two proposed provinces in Papua.