Irianese leader seeks special autonomy

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)