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ANPAa..r..
Papua-split-preparation

JP/4/PAPUA

Minister increases confusion over Papua partition

Nethy Dharma Somba
The Jakarta Post
Jayapura, Papua

Home affairs minister Hari Sabarno has added to the confusion
surrounding the partition of the autonomous province of Papua
into three provinces -- Papua, Central Irian Jaya, and West Irian
Jaya.

While emphasizing that the government would need one full year
to prepare for the partition of the country's easternmost
province, Minister Hari said in Jayapura, Papua, on Saturday that
Abraham O. Atururi was the legitimate governor of West Irian Jaya
province.

Yet, Hari, who visited Papua last Saturday to swear in 11 new
regents in Papua, also said that there was only one governor in
the province, namely the incumbent J.P. Salossa.

The confusion started early this year when President Megawati
Soekarnoputri issued Decree No. 1 of 2003, which accelerated the
division of Papua province, whose size is triple that of Java
island.

The decree, however, immediately drew strong protests from
most Papuans, who argued that the move violated Law No. 25 of
2001, which granted the province special autonomy.

Under the special autonomy arrangement, any move to partition
the province would need to be endorsed by the Papuan People's
Assembly (MRP), the highest legislative body in autonomous Papua.

As this assembly has not been established yet, Papuans and
most analysts in Jakarta suspect that the partition is designed
to weaken the low-level, poorly organized secessionist campaign
mounted by the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

Minister Hari said on Saturday that the government needed one
year to complete the technical preparations for the establishment
of the new provinces, implying that the division had not yet
taken place.

He said Presidential Decree No. 1/2003 did not stipulate the
exact time for the establishment of the new provinces, but
nevertheless condoned Abraham's move to inaugurate the province
of West Irian Jaya in Manokwari in February.

The move, he said, was completely acceptable based on Law No.
45/1999, which split the province into three and appointed
Abraham as the governor of West Irian Jaya province.

Bowing to pressure from Papuans, former president Abdurrahman
Wahid issued a decree indefinitely delaying the implementation of
the law.

Law No. 25, 2001 on special autonomy for Papua makes no
reference to Law No. 45, 1999.

"It is completely legitimate if he (Abraham) claims to be the
West Irian Jaya governor," said Hari, adding that Abraham's
duties were to prepare the necessary infrastructure for the new
province.

"Abraham is not allowed to administer the territory of West,"
said Hari, adding that Governor Salossa was still in charge of
all of Papua.

"There will be a new presidential decree issued on West Irian
Jaya province," Hari said without saying when it would be
promulgated.

Abraham told The Jakarta Post earlier that he had still lacked
staff and an office.

"I only manage the preparations, such as preparing for the
establishment of the provincial council to elect a definitive
governor and deputy governor," he said.

The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) has said
that the division of Papua has major political ramifications as
the 2004 elections nears.

The former ruling party, Golkar, still dominates the
provincial government and legislature while supporters of its
main rival, Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan), have accused the governor of using special
autonomy revenues to beef up Golkar's 2004 war chest.

Golkar members suggest that the division into three provinces
would benefit the rival party and enable the new governors to
divert funds to the local PDI Perjuangan campaigns.

"The overriding motivation behind the decree appears to have
been the weakening of the Papuan independence movement, but far
from lessening the possibility of conflict, the decree may
actually increase its rich province to be a single territorial
unit," the ICG said in its report.