Most Papuans no longer sympathize with security forces

Most Papuans no longer sympathize with security forces

Like war-torn Aceh, Papua remains in the spotlight. Papua
Governor Jaap Solossa talked with The Jakarta Post's Ridwan Max
Sijabat on Friday after leading a Papuan delegation to meet with
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to discuss the situation in
the province.

Question: Would you like to summarize your delegation's
meeting with the President?"

Answer: The President and our delegation were of the same
opinion that the special autonomy regulated by Law No. 21/2001 is
the main pillar of a grand strategy to seek a comprehensive
solution to the complex Papua issue.

The President promised to make a fundamental decision to prove
his strong political commitment to settling the issue through
peaceful dialog, and instructed his aides to take concrete
measures to enforce the special autonomy law.

He was very glad to meet with us, and shared his intention to
fully implement the special autonomy, which was left untouchable
during former president Megawati Soekarnoputri's tenure, over the
last three years.

Would you like to explain that issue in detail?

A: During the meeting, the President instructed the
coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs
(Widodo A.S.) and home minister (Moh. Ma'ruf) to discuss the
draft regulation on the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP), and to
make the necessary preparations for its establishment. The
implementation was delayed because it was feared that it could
pave the way for the province to separate from Indonesia in the
future.

The establishment of the MRP has been included in the
President's first 100-day program, and he pledged that the MRP's
establishment would be his "Christmas gift" to the Papuan people.

The President also promised to set up a Papua desk at the
Presidential Office to deal with Papua matters. The special desk,
led by the President and consisting of Papuan figures, military
officials and politicians would mainly be tasked with preparing
necessary policies and development programs in Papua.

Q: What is your comment on the controversial draft regulation
on the MRP?

A: It is not really controversial because it is based on the
special autonomy law. And what makes Papua special, unique and
different from other provinces is the MRP, which according to the
law is the highest decision-making institution, representing all
components in the province.

Megawati and her former government declined to approve it, and
to set up the long-awaited MRP, because they feared that the
institution would be used to assist the province's separation
from Indonesia.

But, if Acehnese people are allowed to adopt the sharia
according to Islam, why aren't we allowed to do the same thing?
(The majority of Papuans are Christians.)

Q: How is the planned formation of the two new provinces
progressing?

A: The President has agreed to review the controversial
Presidential Instruction, No. 1/2003, which was issued to enforce
Law No. 45/1999 on the development of North Maluku, West and
Central Irian Jaya provinces, which is no longer effective since
it is against the special autonomy law.

Papuan people are not against any idea to form four or five
more provinces in Papua, which is 3.5 times the size of Java
Island. However it should gain approval from the MRP.

The Papuan provincial legislature has filed a law suit against
the presidential instruction, and the Constitutional Court is
scheduled to make a decision on the case on Nov. 11.

The Higher Administrative Court has annulled Presidential
Decree No. 10/2003 on the extension of Octavianus Abram Atururi's
one-year period as acting governor of West Irian Jaya.

Q: What other issues are most urgent in Papua?

A: Illegal logging, illegal fishing and HIV/AIDS. And the
three issues correlate with one another.

Illegal logging and illegal fishing activities have been
rampant in the province because the region is out of the close
supervision of the public in Jakarta. The looting of Papua's rich
resources involves timber and fishing companies from Malaysia and
Thailand. They are backed by security personnel from local Navy
units and police offices.

Timber barons have paid police personnel to back the illegal
logging activities, which have involved local loggers. It is also
common for them to offer sex workers from Java as presents for
local informal leaders, to keep their mouths closed. The timber
barons also bribed local Navy units to escort their log vessels
out of the province.

The number of people living with HIV/AIDS has reached around
15,000 at present, and most of them are living in the southern
part of the province, particularly in Mimika and Merauke
regencies, where illegal logging and fishing activities have been
rampant.

Q: What are you doing to address these serious problems?

A: During the meeting with the President, we asked the
government to lift the joint decree issued by the forestry
minister, fisheries and maritime affairs minister, the Indonesian
Military (TNI) commander and the National Police chief,
concerning the supervision of forest and maritime resources
(wanalaga and wanabahari) in the province.

Corrupt officials of the National Police and the Navy in the
province abused their power and manipulated the joint decree to
loot the province's resources.

Most Papuan people are no longer sympathetic toward the
security authorities because many innocent people have been shot
in military operations and their resources looted.

The provincial government will intensify the anti-HIV/AIDS
campaign among youths and school students aged between ten years
and 18 years to curb the spread of the virus.