Papua liberty will not get international support

The week-long Papuan People's Congress ended in Jayapura on Sunday with a declaration that the easternmost province of Irian Jaya is no longer part of Indonesia. Political researcher Ikrar Nusa Bhakti of the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI) sees the declaration as unlikely to win international support.

Question: Do you consider the recent declaration of the Papuan People's Congress legitimate?

Ikrar: Any party can say whether it is legitimate or not. However, recognition of its legitimacy should not come from the Indonesian government but from the international community. Instead of saying that the congress was not legitimate, the government should have said that any part of Indonesia is not allowed to declare independence from the republic.

Q: But President Abdurrahman Wahid has said the government could not recognize the congress' results because it was attended by foreigners, while Papuans who are against independence had been denied from participating in it. Your comment?

I: The presence of foreigners at the congress should not make any difference as long as they were there just witnesses or observers.

On the absence of prointegration Papuans, I can say that they didn't dare to attend because they were intimidated and terrorized. In their campaign, proindependence Papuans have used not only words but also physical actions against prointegration people.

Q: Do you expect the congress would win international support for Papua's declaration?

I: It will be very difficult for them to get international support because as long as the United Nations (UN) still recognizes its resolutions No. 1752 of 1962 and No. 2504 of 1969, Papua will be internationally recognized as being under the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.

Resolution No. 1752 of 1962 demanded that the Netherlands hand over its sovereignty of Papua to Indonesia through the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority, while resolution No. 2504 of 1969 endorsed the plebiscite's results, confirming that Papuans supported integration into Indonesia.

Q: But the congress rejected the resolutions on the grounds that Papuans were never consulted...

I: They cannot say that the resolutions were illegitimate because they were approved by the UN members through voting, in which the majority of them expressed support and none of them were against. Only a few of abstained.

If the congress participants claimed that Papuans were not consulted, they should have blamed the Netherlands which did not allow them to partake. However, some of the Papuans actually participated in some negotiations preceding the resolutions.

Q: Is it possible for individual countries, like Australia, for example, to support the independence of Papua?

I: They can do so, but as long as there are no countries demanding the UN to revise resolutions No. 1752 of 1962 and No. 2504 of 1969, the UN will never review Papua's decolonization.

Q: If they have no prospects of international recognition, why are they continually demanding separation from Indonesia?

I: Several reasons have encouraged them to do so. Previous governments, particularly the New Order regime, assigned too many Indonesians from other provinces to take over bureaucratic positions from Papuans on the grounds that certain positions must be held by officials with appropriate educational backgrounds.

This has inhibited the chances of Papuans, most of whom are lowly educated, from getting high-ranking positions in their own province.

The government-supported transmigration of people from other islands to Papua has also edged out the competitiveness of Papuans' businesses on their own land.

Furthermore, the military's strong repression against those suspected of rebellion has also offended the Papuans.

However, there might be a mastermind behind the congress, who wants the military to return to power ... Investigation, therefore, is necessary to find out who was actually behind the congress.

Q: Now that the Papuan People's Congress has called for international support for its declaration, can the government take legal or military action against those actively involved in the congress?

I: The government will have no legal basis to take action against them because the law on subversion has been lifted, while the Constitution of 1945 does not have any clause forbidding any part of the country from declaring independence.

Military action cannot be introduced either, as long as the activists do not undertake any military provocation. Moreover, any repressive action would be counterproductive.

Q: Then what measures should be taken by the government?

I: The government must provide facilities, so that Papuans can improve their participation in local bureaucracy and the military, as well as economic, technological and educational development. Papuans must also be given opportunities to take part in national development outside Papua.

Such measures are important because more and more Papuans are getting rational. They realize that what they need is not territorial freedom but freedom in the sense of humanity.

To find measures acceptable to all parties concerned, the government must sponsor dialogues with Papuans. (Rikza Abdullah)