Irianese mull snub of general election
By Neles Tebay
JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Irianese groups have threatened to boycott the June 7 general election if the national dialog with President B.J. Habibie, planned for Feb. 26, fails to heed their aspiration for independence.
In fact, "thousands of Irianese has already decided to boycott the upcoming general election", said Theys H. Eluay, chairman of the Irian Jaya Traditional Consensus Institute, which strives to nurture traditional avenues of deliberation among local people.
"The boycott will happen if our aspiration for independence is not discussed in the dialog," he said on Monday.
Local groups are gauging the aspirations of Irianese on a variety of issues including autonomy, independence and the question of a federal state for the mineral-rich province.
Tom Beanal, an Amungme community leader, recently interviewed residents of Mimika regency and found that only three out of the 13,755 people surveyed wanted autonomy.
"The rest called for Irian Jaya independence," he said.
A survey held by the People for Democracy Group in the regency of Yapen Warope found 16,281 people for independence. Autonomy was the preferred option of another 200 while only five agreed on a federal concept.
The survey covered the eight districts of South Yapen, North Yapen, West Yapen, Masirei, East Yapen, Angkaisera, Waropen Bawah and Waropen Atas.
In Manokwari regency, 22 out of 24 districts preferred independence while the remaining two selected autonomy.
No information regarding polling methods was released.
Irian Jaya Governor Freddy Numberi recently acknowledged that demands for independence were increasing due to inadequate attention to the province from Jakarta.
In a related development, 18 members of the Free Papua separatist movement traveled to Jayapura from their jungle hideouts in the hope of meeting the chief of the Trikora Military Command, Maj. Gen. Amir Sembiring.
Sembiring, however, was away in Ambon, Maluku. The delegation said it would remain at the Ermasita Hotel until the commander could meet them.
"We want a dialog with him and it must be held at the provincial legislature," said one of the delegates.
Cenderawasih University rector F.A. Wospakrik welcomed the separatist activists' initiative to hold a dialog. "They are our brothers, we should not hate them."
In a similar announcement in Jayapura last week, visiting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo H.S. said "they are our brothers, it's just that they disagree with us. That's why we need to invite them to sit together and find a common vision, mission and interpretation on how to develop the province".
Local legislator Bram Kuruwib reminded Habibie that failure to keep his promised national dialog with Irianese would be an insult and might drive the locals to take "arbitrary actions".
"The Irianese should be given the chance to directly convey their aspirations and air grievances about the oppression they experienced under the New Order regime," he said.
"Neither greater autonomy nor independence is an answer in itself. Greater autonomy would be useless if roots of the problems (namely oppression and unfair treatment) remain unaddressed."
Meanwhile, the World Council of Churches recently called on the United Nations human rights commission to investigate reported rights violations in Irian Jaya including arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial killings, freedom of expression infractions and socioeconomic rights of Irianese people concerning the transmigration program.