Irianese leader seeks special autonomy

JAKARTA (JP): The sooner the central government gives Irian Jaya special autonomy, the better Jakarta's chance of silencing the demands for independence emanating from the province, a political leader in Irian Jaya said.

The deputy speaker of the Irian Jaya provincial legislature, John Ibo, blames the increasing support for secession among the Papuans, as the province's natives refer to themselves, on the central government's failure to address the demand for autonomy.

"The central government should know that the Papuans do not need or expect special autonomy at the level of discussion. They want to see and experience this status materialize in the province," Ibo told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He said the speedy implementation of autonomy in the province would convince Papuans to remain a part of the republic.

Irian Jaya is home to one of the world's largest gold mines. Alleged human rights violations and unfair revenue sharing from mining activities have cause many in the province to demand independence.

The 700-member People's Consultative Assembly, in its General Session last October, endorsed the proposal to grant the natural resource-rich provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya special autonomy.

Ibo said the government's failure to follow up the Assembly's decision and draft a law and operational regulations to implement the special autonomy showed it was not serious in resolving the issue.

The government's recalcitrance is also manifested in other matters, according to Ibo.

First, based on the unique nature of Irian Jaya, the provincial legislative council proposed to the central government that four deputy governors be appointed to the province. "But as of today, there has been no response," Ibo said.

Second, he said, the legislative council requested the central government to provide Irian Jaya Rp 350 billion of the Rp 2 trillion of financial aid set aside in the state budget for the country's provinces. "However, the central government never replied."

He said Papuans hailed President Abdurrahman Wahid's approval of Irian Jaya being renamed Papua. "But there have been no steps taken by the government or the House of Representatives to officially adopt the name."

Ibo warned that if Jakarta continued to procrastinate, Papuans would lose their trust in the government. "Further delays in implementing the special autonomy in Papua will only fuel the already strong demand for establishing an independent state in the territory.

"The government has the obligation to carry out development in Irian Jaya. If it fails to fulfill the needs of the Papuans, the people's demand for independence will grow." (eba)