Papua legislature rejects establishment of new provinces

Nethy Dharma Somba and Kanis Dursin, Jayapura, Papua

The Papua Legislative Council (Papua DPRD) rejected on Monday the government decision to split up the province into three provinces and vowed to file a judicial review with the Supreme Court against a presidential decree endorsing the establishment of the provinces of Central and West Irian Jaya.

Papua DPRD chairman John Ibo argued that indigenous Papuans were not yet ready to take up the challenge posed by the two new provinces, and that splitting up Papua into three provinces now would only benefit non-Papuans, who would be recruited to fill vacancies in the bureaucracy.

"All DPRD members reject the government decision to create new provinces in Papua," John said before a group of over 2,000 student protesters inside the Papua legislature compound in Jayapura on Monday.

"And then thieves would come in and rob the province," John said to thundering applause with cries of "merdeka", or "independence", from the crowd.

John was referring to presidential decree No. 1/2003 on the establishment of Central Irian Jaya and West Irian Jaya provinces, as well as the creation of Paniai, Mimika and Puncak Jaya regencies and Sorong mayoralty. The decree, issued by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Jan. 27, 2003, was a follow- up to law No. 45/1999 on the same issue.

Under law No. 45/1999, Papua was already divided into three provinces: Papua, which covers the area along the border it shares with Papua New Guinea, including provincial capital Jayapura in the north, Wamena in the center and Merauke in the south; Central Irian Jaya, which covers Biak, Serui, Enarotali, Mulia, Nabire and Timika; and West Irian Jaya, which covers Sorong, Manukwari and Fak-fak.

Following the enactment of the law in 1999, which many saw as an attempt to weaken the secessionist movement in the province, students and civil society activists in Papua staged street rallies to protest the ruling. The protests peaked with the occupation of the Papua Governor's office in Jayapura for three days.

The protests prompted the Papua legislature to hold a plenary meeting and issue decree No. 11/1999 rejecting the splitting of Papua into three provinces. The government later issued a decree delaying the implementation of law No. 45/1999.

John said the legislature would once again send DPRD I decree No. 11/1999 to the central government to remind President Megawati that Papuans were still opposed to the plan to create the new provinces.

He added that the local legislature, the governor and students, as well as civil society activists, would set up a team to analyze the decree and prepare to file a judicial review with the Supreme Court against the ruling.

He accused President Megawati of deceiving the Papuans by splitting up the province, despite an earlier understanding that the province would not be split until the Papuans were ready to fill the additional positions which would be created in the bureaucracy.

"When DPRD members and Governor (J.P. Solossa) met with President Megawati in Jakarta, she told us that the new provinces would not be created unless the Papuans themselves were ready and requesting it. Now that she has issued the decree, she is cheating us," John said. He did not say that he himself had met with Megawati.

He stressed that Papuans were not opposed to the idea of splitting the province, "but let the people decide what they want."

"We have been cheated repeatedly, and now we are not only cheated, but also intimidated," John said without elaborating.

Over 2,000 students from a total of 12 universities and other higher learning institutes in Jayapura, Abepura and Sentani detained a truck convoy from Abepura, some eight kilometers outside the provincial capital, to Jayapura, protesting the central government's decision to split up and establish several regencies and a mayoralty in Papua province.

"We want the central government to revoke its decision to accelerate the establishment of Central and West Irian Jaya provinces," said John Baransano, senate chairman of the Abepura- based Protestant theological school, STT I.S. Kijne.

The protesters also charged that presidential decree No. 1/2003 contradicted law No. 21/2001 on Papua's special autonomy status, especially article 76, which stipulates that the establishment of new provinces in Papua should be conducted with the approval of the Papua People's Assembly (MRP) and the Papua House of Representatives (DPRP), after seriously taking into account socio-cultural unity, the readiness of human resources, and economic ability, as well as future development.

The MRP has not yet been established, although the Papua legislature submitted the draft of a ruling on the establishment of MRP to the central government six months ago, which remains unsigned for unknown reasons.

The government granted special autonomy status to Papua in 2002 to appease indigenous people who had long harbored resentment over development policies, which they considered to have marginalized Papuans.

A minority secessionist movement has been fighting for Papuan independence since the 1960s.