Govt urged to ensure status of Papua

Govt urged to ensure status of Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

Papuan leaders reacted cautiously on Monday to the bill recently
approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, stressing that
Papua is legally part of Indonesia but urging the government to
renew its commitment to implementing special autonomy status
there.

Secretary of the Papuan Tribal Council (DAP) Fadel Al Hamid
said the approval of the bill could be seen as assistance for
Papuans in solving their current problems.

"With this bill, it's clear now that Papua has become an
international issue so the government can't claim that this is a
domestic one. The sign is clear," he said.

Therefore, said Fadel, the government needed to come to Papua
to show its willingness to do whatever it takes to support the
development of Papua, rather than continuing to deploy military
personnel there.

"Don't take us for granted. If the government wants to rule on
anything concerning Papua, involve us and hear our opinion. Have
respect for us, contrary to the government's conduct during the
1969 referendum," he said.

Fadel argued that the referendum had been carried out
improperly as representatives had voted on whether or not Papua
would remain with Indonesia, rather than the use of a
one-man-one-vote mechanism.

It is the referendum, or the 1969 Act of Free Choice, which is
being questioned by the U.S. House in the bill.

While Indonesia has claimed Papua as part of its territory
since its 1945 independence, Papua remained under Dutch control
until 1962. That year, Indonesia and the Netherlands signed the
New York Agreement, which transferred the administration of Papua
first to a United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA),
and then to Indonesia in 1963, pending a referendum.

In July and August 1969, Indonesia conducted an Act of Free
Choice, in which 1,025 selected Papuan elders voted unanimously
to join Indonesia, which the U.S. bill considers to be held in
"circumstances that were subject to both overt and covert forms
of manipulation".

The bill also mentions successive cases of military and human
rights violations as factors that have exacerbated the condition
in Papua.

Fadel said during the years after the granting of special
autonomy status to Papua in 2001, the local people had not
enjoyed any improvement in their lives as the central government
had been reluctant to share its powers.

Papua Governor JP Solossa admitted that the U.S. House's wish
to review the 1969 referendum had also been voiced by some groups
of people in Papua, but he stressed that the U.S. government had
said it would not support Papua's separation from Indonesia.

"We can't let this bill affect the security stability in Papua
because many Papuans are loyal to Indonesia," he said, adding
that the government was committed to the implementation of Law
No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua.

Solossa asserted that it was too early to judge whether or not
the implementation of the special autonomy status had failed.

Meanwhile, Trikora Military Commander overseeing Papua Maj.
Gen. George Toisutta said there was no country in the world that
could interfere with Indonesia's domestic issues.

"And the Indonesian Military will defend Indonesia from any
attempts of separation. We should not be inattentive," he said.