Jayapura Bishop becomes expert in balancing roles
By Lela E. Madjiah
He was just like any other young man. A fine house, a beautiful wife, children and a good place in society was all he ever wanted. Yet, fate landed him in a strange land, half way across the world from home. But Jayapura's Bishop H.F.M. Munninghoff OFM has never regretted his choice. He loves Irian Jaya and deeply cares about its people. "When I retire, I want to stay here for a while. I love it here," said Munninghoff, who celebrated his 25th anniversary as Jayapura's bishop on Sept. 10.
JAYAPURA (JP): Life is full of choices, and often they are difficult ones. An Indonesian proverb, Bagai buah simalakama, dimakan bapak mati, tidak dimakan ibu mati (like the fruit of simalakama, if you eat it, your father will die; if you don't eat it, your mother will die), aptly describes the complexity of making one's choice, even for a bishop, and one stationed in Irian Jaya for that matter.
As Jayapura's bishop, Munninghoff has become an expert in the art of balancing. He has spent over half his life trying to accommodate the conflicting interests of government officials, including the Armed Forces (ABRI), and the remaining proindependence supporters, the Free Papua Movement (OPM).
Both often accuse him of taking sides. ABRI suspects him of helping the OPM, while the latter feels he is not helping them enough.
Munninghoff has become used to being suspected or blamed. Between 1962 and 1963, when the first Indonesian representatives arrived in Irian Barat in preparations for the handing over of the province from the Dutch to the Indonesian government, he was warned that he was a time bomb left by the Dutch.
"All the Protestant priests and a number of Catholic priests had returned to Holland. The Protestant priests left because they were married and had families. I stayed with four other Catholic priests because I did not have any family," he said.
With regard to the OPM, the bishop makes his position clear.
"I don't support the OPM. I understand their position, but Indonesia too has the right (over Irian Jaya). For 350 years Irian Barat was part of the Netherlands Indische and I understand why Indonesia wanted it back. I cannot support both," he explained.
"The Papuans were promised independence by the Dutch before the United Nations decided that the Dutch had to return Irian Barat to Indonesia in 1963. Back in 1950, the Papuans had made preparations for the promised freedom.
"They formed their own army, the Papuan Legion. However, in 1966, the United Nations told them that they would be given the right to a free choice, either to remain within the Republic of Indonesia or become an independent state. The United Nations had cheated them," the bishop said in an interview at his home in Jayapura.
The Dutch also sent students to Australia and the Netherlands to study at the universities there. The Papuans had the dream of a free state. The Indonesians, too, had a dream of having Irian Jaya back in its fold. When the Indonesians came, the Papuans who had prepared for their independence simply could not accept the situation, said Munninghoff.
The OPM, according to the bishop, is what Indonesia was in 1949, during the war for independence.
"In 1949, Indonesians fought hard to maintain their freedom. It was 'merdeka atau mati!' (freedom or death). The OPM, too, is fighting in the same spirit," he said.
Munninghoff stresses that although he does not support the OPM, he treats them as any other human beings.
"I defend their rights as human beings. This often creates problems because ABRI will accuse me of helping the OPM. I always tell them that as human beings, they have the right to be defended whenever their rights are being violated," he argued.
Bishop Munninghoff recalled the reactions over his report on the violations of human rights in Timika. The report detailed the dispute between local tribesmen with Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold Inc, which had caused deaths among the local population and violations of their rights by security officers.
The report included violation cases since 1994. On Oct. 9, 1994, four civilians were arrested. On Dec. 25, 1994, one was stabbed and shot at, and three tortured. Their fate is still unknown. On Dec. 26, 1994, four tribesmen were arrested. On June 4, 1995, 11 were reported shot to death. The bishop's report was confirmed by the National Commission on Human Rights, which attributed the tension and the ensuing violence in Timika partly to the local administration's inefficiency.
"The report was not about violations by ABRI, but by ABRI members. This is important to understand. If a Catholic does wrong, it does not mean that the whole Catholic church is wrong," the bishop said.
"ABRI is still needed here and I'm saying this not because I like ABRI, but because it is a fact. I think the relationship between ABRI and the local population is quite good. On one hand I am grateful for ABRI's presence here, but on the other hand there are violations," Munninghoff added.
Freeport was quite happy with his report because Munninghoff did not blame them.
"I was only reporting the facts. Freeport has done a lot for the people. They built roads, schools, churches and provided scholarships. But the people who claim ownership of the land said Freeport had never stated specifically that all the things they had done were for the landowners," said the bishop.
"Of the eight tribes who claim ownership of the land being mined by Freeport, seven have agreed to accept the Rp 500 million compensation offered plus another 1 percent of Freeport's income.
"But the Amungma and its chief, Tom Beanal, have refused the offer and are demanding US$6 billion. They think it's unfair that although they cannot mine the land, they, the landowner, get 1 percent of the profits while Freeport gets 99 percent," he said.
"I know the tribesmen have the right to demand something from Freeport, but I don't know if they will get the US$6 billion they are demanding. I don't know how much Freeport should pay them."
He warns that as long as the conflict between Freeport and the Amungma continues, the OPM will take advantage of the situation to promote their cause.
Munninghoff stresses that his involvement in cases like Timika does not mean that he has entered politics.
"I only act as a mediator."
It was as a mediator that he was involved in the Mapanduma hostage crisis in 1996, during which he met Kelly Kwalik, the leader of the rebels who kidnapped 26 researchers and Kelly's deputy, Daniel Yudas Kagoya. Munninghoff had never met them before and did not know them, but Kelly had heard of him and asked the bishop to act as mediator.
Upon approval from Maj. Gen. Subianto Prabowo, Commander General of the Army's special force, Munninghoff agreed to help.
"The first time I went there, we were met only by Daniel Kagoya, who spent an hour lecturing us on what the OPM is, why it is doing what it is doing, that they have the right to freedom, etc. It was not difficult for us, because as mediators we did not have to say no or yes. All we had to do was to listen to them and bring their message to ABRI and vice versa," said Munninghoff.
However, he reproached Kagoya for taking children and a pregnant woman hostage, to which Kagoya argued that the hostages were their only weapon against ABRI.
It was during the second meeting that he met Kelly.
"Oh, he is a lot more fanatical than Kagoya. At least we could argue with Kagoya, but Kelly just did not listen to others. He wants to eliminate every pro-Indonesian Irianese," said Munninghoff.
Resentments
The local population holds grudges against the government for many reasons. In the early years of their reunification with Indonesia, the economic situation was bad and the government failed to keep its promise to help.
When Adam Malik, head of the Indonesian representatives, visited Jayapura in 1965, he was shocked to learn that there was practically nothing in the capital.
"He wanted to shop, and his hosts insisted that he tell them what he wanted and they would get it for him. But Adam Malik refused, saying he wanted to do the shopping himself. He was in for a shock because when he went to the stores, there was nothing except for a few small plastic statues no one would buy and a few old cans of soup," the bishop recalled.
Adam Malik could not understand it because he said the Indonesian government had sent shiploads of goods to Irian Jaya.
"I'm sure we had sent the goods through Surabaya and Jakarta," Adam Malik insisted.
The goods never reached the Jayapura port because as soon as they came ashore, there were already other ships there which took the goods and sold them elsewhere. The people of Irian Jaya never received the aid from the central government. It was one of the many resentments the local populations held against the Indonesian authorities and one they do not forget easily.
Adam Malik promised that the next shipments would reach the people and he kept his promise, said Munninghoff.
Today, Irian Jaya is a lot different from when Munninghoff first arrived in 1954. The economy is better, there are roads and there are about 200 small air strips throughout the hinterland to transport goods and people.
"But there are still places which are only accessible on foot. And I can understand that because the high mountains in the hinterland makes road building difficult and expensive," said Munninghoff.
The number of university students has also increased and there are more and more school children whose parents do not know how to read or write, who do not even know what school is, he said.
Munninghoff said the government or ABRI cannot be blamed for the many problems in the province.
"The province's geographical conditions complicate things," he stressed.
Another problem which has slowed economic development is that there are no factories in Irian Jaya.
"There was a textile factory, but it was closed because it was not profitable. If there are factories here, there will be more people from Java and other islands coming and they will help improve the skills of the local population," Munninghoff said.
One of the most serious problems in Irian Jaya stems from the people's inability to face changes. The province is divided among various tribes, each knowing well where their land ends. The forests and the rivers are their livelihoods, where they hunt and fish. They saw no reason why it should change. And when things started to change, many of the older generation could not cope with the effects.
"Things are different and they just don't understand it," said Munninghoff.
Notary
Born on Nov. 30, 1921, Munninghoff first arrived in Irian Jaya in 1954 after he finished his studies at a Franciscan seminary in Megen, in the southern part of Holland.
He first stayed in Abepura, which from 1954 to 1955, was the center of activities in Irian Jaya because it was here that the U.S. stationed half a million troops during World War II. He lived there until 1963, when he moved to Jayapura and where he has lived since.
He also spent 1956 in Arso.
"There were millions and millions of mosquitoes and leeches there and oh, becek, becek sekali (very, very muddy)," he recalled.
Life in Irian Jaya was a far cry from his original dream.
"I was studying to become a notary. At the time, being a notary was very prestigious. I dreamed of a fine house, a beautiful wife, children, a good place in society," he said.
But World War II broke out and he had to leave school. When Germany occupied Holland, all males had to work in German weapons' factories. Munninghoff and several other young men who refused to work for the enemy ran away and hid in a small house.
Then, a British plane was shot down by the Germans, but the pilot and passengers escaped unharmed and took refuge in the same house where Munninghoff and his friends were hiding. The German intelligence got hold of the information and surrounded the place. They closed in on three directions, leaving a gap in their attack plan that allowed them to escape.
"I ran to the seminary in the south, still without any intention of becoming a priest. I told the headmaster that I only wanted to hide. He said that it was fine with him. However, he talked me into working and studying there like the other students so as not to raise suspicion from the Germans or from the other students. I agreed. Unlike all other males, seminary students were not required to work for the Germans," said Munninghoff.
"I joined in the prayers, the ceremonies, the study. And I thought to myself, 'Wow, this is 10 times what's normal.' I was a Catholic, but to be a priest? No way," said Munninghoff.
There were about 120 students and Munninghoff was the oldest. All the students wanted to become Franciscan priests. The Franciscan order denounces wealth or individual belongings. Eventually, life at the seminary changed Munninghoff.
"They all wanted to follow Jesus and live in poverty, while I wanted to have a fine house, a beautiful wife, children. I thought that their dreams were better than mine and I decided to follow them. And never once did I have regrets over my decision," said the bishop.
"When I finished at the seminary, I was offered a job. I told myself I wanted to go to Irian because in Europe, the church was already an established institution. In Irian, I had to start building it. It was partly due to my youthful yearnings for adventure," he said.
He fell in love with Irian Jaya, despite the mosquitoes and leeches. A love that is reflected in a song he wrote some time ago titled My Beloved Irian Jaya.
Irian Jaya, Irian Jaya
Blue skies, beloved land
Irian Jaya, Irian Jaya
My heart is always with you
When I'm away from you
Far away from you
I long for you
I always remember your kindness
Irian Jaya Irian Jaya ...
Munninghoff will turn 75 on Nov. 30, and he has sent a letter to the Vatican asking to be relieved of his post.
"They have not given me an answer, but usually when a priest reaches 75, he is relieved of his duties," said Munninghoff.
After spending half of his life here, Munninghoff feels at home.
"Ah, this has been a good life," he sighed contentment.