Irian Jaya not yet ready for autonomy: Governor
Irian Jaya not yet ready for autonomy: Governor
JAKARTA (JP): Irian Jaya Governor Freddy Numberi threw cold
water on calls for greater autonomy yesterday, arguing that
Indonesia's easternmost province lacked sufficiently skilled
human resources for such a responsibility.
The retired navy commodore asserted that awarding the
resource-rich province autonomy would only lead to more
"importing" of experts from Java or other provinces.
"I think the policy will spark criticism, demonstrations and
riots here -- which in turn will render the government and the
provincial administration unable to work together to solve
problems, mainly the economic crisis," he said.
Similar problems would also arise if the province was granted
independence, he said.
Numberi stated his view during a meeting with 24 tribal chiefs
from 12 regencies in the provincial capital of Jayapura.
With an area four times larger than the country's main island
of Java, Irian Jaya has a population of just four million, most
of whom are traditional nomadic tribespeople.
Non-governmental organizations and church groups in the area
have said that development in the province over the past three
decades ignored the indigenous Irianese.
Early last month, the media spotlight was cast on the region
when the military opened fire at pro-independence activists who
had hoisted the outlawed Free Papua Movement flag. At least two
activists died.
Church leaders in the province have called on the government
to pay serious attention to the people's aspirations.
Numberi claimed yesterday that pro-independence sentiment came
only from "certain parties" which were unaware of the formal
turnover of the province from the Dutch colonizers to the
Indonesian government.
A referendum was held in 1969 through which the Irianese
decided to join Indonesia, he maintained.
Numberi said his administration was more interested in working
on improving the quality of the province's human resources.
"If we have enough qualified human resources, we're maybe
ready to be given broader autonomy and if it is needed Irian Jaya
could have two or three provinces," he said.
On Sunday Numberi also pressed the central government to allow
local people to mine for gold in Topo village, Nabire regency and
in Jayapura.
He said the proposal had been sent to Jakarta twice -- on Dec.
30, 1996 and June 1998 -- but there had still been no reply, he
said, as quoted by Antara. (aan)