Govt to set up powerful Papuan body next month

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government promised on Monday to install the members of the much-awaited Papua People's Assembly (MRP) early next month and to refrain from making any strategic decisions on the troubled province pending the establishment of the local body.

The promise was made by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Adm. (ret) Widodo A.S. during a meeting with senior figures grouped in the Papua Forum, including Asmara Nababan, Albert Hasibuan, Fikri Jufri and Wiryono Sastrohandoyo.

Albert quoted Widodo as saying that the 42-strong MRP will be inaugurated on Oct. 7 or Oct. 8, later than the initial schedule of late this month.

The government, Albert said, blamed the delayed establishment of the MRP on "technical reasons". Critics have said, however, that the government was buying time in setting up the MRP as it appeared reluctant to give it wide-ranging powers as mandated by Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua.

"The MRP's establishment is quite important as it is one way for the government to build up trust among Papuans. After the MRP is set up, then we must let the body deal with Papua's problems one by one," Albert told the press after Monday's meeting.

Under the Papuan Special Autonomy Law, the MRP is authorized to deal with various problems in the province, ranging from rampant human right abuses to coping with the social, cultural and economic gaps being faced by its indigenous people.

According to Albert, a former deputy chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, the recent court verdicts handed down by the human rights tribunal in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar acquitting senior police officers of all charges in connection with the bloody Abepura incident had resulted in Papuans losing whatever trust they once had in the central government.

"Therefore, it is hoped that the immediate establishment of the MRP will win back Papuans' trust," he said.

A human rights tribunal sitting in Makassar acquitted a number of police officers charged with committing gross human rights violations in the Abepura incident.

Another Papua Forum member, Asmara Nababan, said the meeting also highlighted the government's decision to divide Papua into three provinces -- Papua, and West and Central Irian Jaya.

The partition was one of the crucial issues that the MRP would have to deal with as the decision had been put into effect last year prior to the establishment of the MRP", he said.

During the meeting, the Papua Forum and Widodo also discussed what action the MRP could take having regard to the partition of the province, Asmara said.

"The MRP will have to help the government formulate a legal basis for the creation of West Irian Jaya province if it supports the policy. But if it rejects the policy, it has the power to annul the Constitutional Court's decision to recognize the establishment of the new province," said Asmara.