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)