Papua -- A land of neglect and exploitation

Papua -- A land of neglect and exploitation

Endy M. Bayuni, Deputy chief editor, The Jakarta Post

Anyone wondering why many Papuans are bent on seeking
independence should read a newly published public opinion survey,
which finds the province mired in poverty and inequality
resulting from neglect and, to some extent, exploitation.

The survey by the International Foundation for Election System
(IFES) Indonesia shows these elements to be present in varying
degrees across the huge, but densely populated province.

Combined with the government's own low public standing
relative to other institutions, and its failure to communicate
its policies effectively, it is easy to see why many Papuans have
never heard of the special autonomy law that Jakarta has been
pushing so hard these last few years, and why, at the same time,
awareness about aspirations for independence is running high.

The IFES public opinion survey, the most comprehensive ever
conducted in the province, confirms the widely held perception
that Jakarta has, for far too long, ignored the well-being of the
Papuans, to the point that one of the country's richest provinces
in terms of natural resources also has one of the highest
incidences of poverty.

The survey, held between September and November, looked into
such questions as the people's access to education, health and
the media, and the state of transportation facilities, the
economy and the environment.

In all these areas, the results were found wanting.

No less important, however, are the survey findings that
Papuans are largely ignorant of the special autonomy deal that
Jakarta had offered; that awareness of their own aspirations for
independence is high; and that they have a low opinion about the
role of their local governments.

There is also a strong awareness among Papuans about the
deteriorating state of their forests. The survey, unfortunately,
did not seek to explain what caused this deterioration in the
eyes of the Papuans.

The extractive industries, particularly mining and forestry,
by large national and international companies, have largely been
blamed for the rapid degradation of Papua's environment.

IFES, an organization funded by U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), conducted the survey in cooperation with a
host of Papua-based, non-governmental organizations and
educational institutes, as well as local government agencies.

It interviewed 3,450 respondents from all 12 regencies,
selected to reflect urban and rural as well gender and generation
mixes; included is a group of 1,604 respondents randomly selected
from eight major tribes in the province: Moi and Baham in the
west, Biak in the North, Sentani in the northeast, Lani/Dani and
Yali in the central highlands and Asmat and Marind in the south.

With non-Papuans making up more than 40 percent of the
province's 2.3 million population, the survey found disparities
in opinion between them, and between the eight major tribes.

"The objective of the survey was to gather a broad selection
of useful information that could assist various stakeholders with
an interest in Papua and its future development," IFES said in
the introduction to the report.

"It is anticipated that this survey will form the benchmark
for future research and developmental projects in Papua. It is
further hoped that the findings of this important study will
create a constructive debate that will help to further the
development of Papua in the best interests of its people."

The survey has found that while the few people who had heard
of special autonomy had different interpretations of its
significance, there seems to be little doubt about what their
aspirations for independence mean: that Papua will become an
independent nation.

The government granted Papua in 2002 special autonomy status,
a scheme that supposedly gave the province widespread authority
in managing its own affairs and, most important of all, a larger
share of the revenue from its own natural resources.

A former colony of the Netherlands, Papua only formally became
part of Indonesia in 1969 -- and then, under controversial
circumstances.

Although the UN and most of the rest of the world have
recognized Papua as an integral part of the republic, Jakarta has
been fighting a low-intensity insurgency almost from the start.

Since the downfall of the Soeharto regime in 1998, the
struggle for Papua's independence has been carried out more in
the open. Going hand in hand with a sporadic, jungle guerrilla
war carried on by tiny bands of armed rebels, a group of Papuan
politicians, activists and scholars have formed the Papuan
Presidium Council to further the independence cause through
peaceful means.

While its presence has been largely tolerated by Jakarta, one
of its leaders, Theys Hiyo Eluay was murdered by members of the
Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in 2001, reflecting Jakarta's
unease about its activities and the growing public support it is
enjoying.

Special autonomy status was also granted to Aceh, another
natural resource-rich province at the other extremity of the
archipelago, where Jakarta is fighting another armed insurgency.

This special status was the furthest that Jakarta has been
willing to go in meeting halfway Papuan and Acehnese demands for
independence.

But the IFES survey found that 83 percent of all Papuans have
never heard of anything called "autonomy law". And even among the
17 percent who said they had heard of the law, they had a
different understanding of its impact (Table 1).

Table 1. What would happen if special autonomy law were
introduced in Papua?
.tb 0.1" 5.5"

Papuans would be protected 49%

Opportunities for education would be improved 43%

People would be better off financially 40%

Native Papuans would have own political institution 15%

No change 10%
Source: Public Opinion Survey Papua Indonesia, IFES

.tb 0.3"

In contrast, the survey finds awareness of aspirations for
independence running at 62 percent among all respondents, and 75
percent among indigenous Papuan residents. Among those who are
aware, the question put to them was what would be the outcome if
independence were introduced to them (Table 2).

Table 2. What would happen if Papua were to achieve
independence status?
.tb 0.1" 5.5"

Papua would become an independent nation 66%

Papuans would be free to manage themselves 60%

Everyone would receive equal treatment 28%

Security would improve 16%

No change 7%
Source: Public Opinion Survey Papua Indonesia, IFES

.tb 0.3"

IFES has also found that the Papuans respect religious
institutions more than their provincial and regency
administrations, or their adat (local customs) institutions.

While few institutions were found to be disrespected, the
survey says that the military and police topped the list of
institutions least respected, with 10 percent and 8 percent
respectively. Tribes in Wamena, however, had a larger proportion
of people that did not respect these institutions, with up to 28
percent saying they disrespected the police and up to 20 percent
saying the same for the Military.

Table 3. Which institutions do you respect the most?
.tb 0.1" 5.5"

Religious institutions 50%

Regency administration 15%

Provincial administration & % !& 0 & , 73