Indonesia reaffirms sovereignty over Papua
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Netty Dharma Somba, Jakarta, Jayapura
The Indonesian government has brushed aside any questions about the legitimacy of the 1964 UN-sponsored self-determination vote in Papua, saying current standards should not be applied to past events.
Commenting on the recent release by the U.S. of a document that shows Washington in 1964 dismissed the vote as a sham, Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesman Marty Natalegawa said the disclosure would do nothing to change the status of Papua as part of Indonesia.
"We should avoid the temptation of applying today's standards to situations from the past. The most recent disclosure does not change our sovereignty over Papua," Marty told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
He said the self-determination vote was carried out by the UN and supported by the international community, and the release of an old document did not change the legitimacy of the ballot.
He added: "I do not think that there is any sinister ill intention over the timing of this release."
The Associated Press reported on Saturday that a newly declassified document showed that the U.S. had dismissed the 1964 ballot as a sham.
The ballot was organized by the UN and involved tribal and community leaders handpicked by Jakarta. Even today, however, it is difficult to organize province-wide elections due to the ruggedness of the terrain and the great distances over which communities are dispersed.
During a visit by U.S. president Richard Nixon to Indonesia in 1969, U.S. national security adviser Henry Kissinger wrote that Nixon should not raise the Papua issue with then Indonesian president Soeharto.
Kissinger wrote that independence for Papua was "inconceivable", despite reports that Indonesian Army operations had caused thousands of civilian deaths and spread fear among the people.
There has been increased attention paid to Papua by Washington of late, as just one week before the release of the 1964 document some 20 U.S. senators asked the UN to send special envoys to monitor the security situations in Papua and Aceh.
The release of the U.S. document was welcomed by the Papuan Presidium Council (PDP), which said the document could finally correct history regarding Indonesia's sovereignty over the province.
"The disclosure open the possibility for us to hold a dialog with the Indonesian government and the international community, as we were never given a chance to negotiate with Jakarta," PDP leader Herman Awom told the Post.
The director of the Institute for Civil Strengthening, Budy Setyanto, said it was too late for the U.S. to speak out against the 1964 ballot as the UN had already recognized Papua as an integrated part of Indonesia.
"The disclosure will not change the legitimacy of Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua. Only the UN could change that status," he said.
He also said there were questions about the motives of the U.S. in releasing the 40-year-old document. "I think they have certain interests."