Inauguration of West Irian Jaya council protested

Inauguration of West Irian Jaya council protested

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

A 23-member delegation from the Papua provincial legislative
council is protesting the installment of the controversial West
Irian Jaya council.

Paskalis Mossu, the deputy chairman of the Papua provincial
legislature, said on Friday the move by Minister of Home Affairs
M. Ma'aruf to issue a decree on the inauguration of the West
Irian Jaya council showed the central government's lack of
seriousness in implementing full special autonomy status for
Papua.

"Papuan people have fully supported President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono and his government for his strong commitment to
implementing the Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy, to suspend
the West Irian Jaya council, and encourage the immediate
establishment of the Papua People's Council (MRP) to tackle the
West Irian Jaya issue. However, all these political commitments
have evaporated after Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf issued a
decree on the inauguration of the West Irian Jaya provincial
legislature recently and as many as 25 of 44 members of the
provincial legislature were inaugurated by the chief of the West
Irian Jaya High Court on Thursday," he said.

The creation of West Irian Jaya province has triggered
conflicts between Papua people and security forces.

At least three people were killed and dozens of others were
injured in clashes between supporters and opponents of the
establishment of the new province in 2003.

The previous president Megawati Soekarnoputri issued a
controversial decree in 2003, which effectively implemented Law
No. 45/1999 on the division of Papua into three provinces: West
Irian Jaya, Central Irian Jaya and Papua.

The controversy led to a judicial review by the Constitutional
Court, which issued an ambiguous decision.

The Court annulled in November of last year certain chapters
of Law No. 45/1999 which would make any division of Papua
unconstitutional because it went against the special autonomy
law. The court, however, also recognized the existence of West
Irian Jaya province because it already had an operating central
administration, a legislature and four elected members to the
Regional Representatives Council (DPD) in Jakarta.

The partition of Papua has seen by some as an effort by the
central government to divide and conquer the province, where a
low-level secessionist movement has been simmering since the
1960s.

Paskalis said he and his delegation were in Jakarta to consult
with the Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Finance Jusuf
Anwar, and House of Representatives leaders in line with the
ongoing preparations for the MRP election scheduled for June.

Yan Ayomi, chairman of the Golkar Party faction at the Papua
provincial legislature, said legislators were disappointed with
the central government's move to quietly support the creation of
a separate political institution in West Irian Jaya.

"This is a strong indication that Jakarta is not serious in
resolving the Papua issue and the Home Ministry and its high-
echelon officials have engaged in supporting the political
process in West Irian Jaya to make money. Papua has financially
nurtured West Irian Jaya but it has also received development
funds from the central government in running the public
administration," he said.

Paskalis said the delegation has agreed to call for a meeting
involving all elements in Papua and call on the provincial
legislature to hold a special plenary session. The session would
have two main agenda; to return the special autonomy rule to
Jakarta and to propose a no-confidence motion in central
government, he said.