Papuan council want changes in special autonomy status

Tiarma Siboro and ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta/Surabaya

Top members of the Papuan Tribal Council (DAP) met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Friday and asked the government to immediately hold a significant review of its special autonomy policy in the province, otherwise the campaign for independence of the resource-rich province would become stronger.

The Council has set Aug. 15 as a deadline for the government to decide on whether it would review the policy -- a deadline that also has been set by the Council to return the autonomy policy to the central government, which they claim had been half- hearted in bringing justice and welfare for Papuans.

"The Vice President expressed his understanding as he was of the same opinion as us. He agreed that a critical review of the implementation of the special autonomy law in Papua is necessary," a representative of the Council, Ferdinand Tetro, said during a press conference at the office of the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) in Jakarta.

"He (Kalla), however, has not yet given any promises about a dialog that the government may pursue, but we hope that all parties, ranging from the government, the legislators and the local figures in Papua can sit together to discuss the fate of our province," Tetro said.

The meeting with the Vice President took place ahead of the Council's Aug. 6 to Aug. 15 congress to review the three-year implementation of Law No. 21/2001 on the special autonomy for Papua, which is aimed at providing greater administrative power to the local legislators and greater shares of revenue from the territory's natural resources.

The congress, which will take place in the provincial capital of Jayapura, will review the policy on special autonomy and focus on three main topics: rights abuses, political status and economic development.

The delegates to the congress will also discuss the issue of Papua's history, particularly with regard to how it became a part of Indonesia.

The issue on Papua has once again made headlines, following the proposal by the U.S. House of Representatives on a bill, which if it becomes effective some said may provide stronger international support for the separation of Papua from Indonesia.

Experts have said that in a bid to quell international support for the independence of Papua, the central government must act quickly to fully implement the autonomy law in Papua and help accelerate economic development in the province, which has long been neglected by previous administrations while its valuable natural resources have been exploited.

The Council, however, refused to say whether their move to hold the congress was related to the latest developments in the U.S. Congress.

"We just want to see justice in Papua and we want the central government get more serious in dealing with humanitarian issues in our territory," Council member Andi Manobi said.

Separately, director of Indonesia and Timor Leste Affairs at the U.S. consulate in Surabaya, Angela R. Dickey reiterated an earlier statement made by other U.S. government officials, that the U.S. supports the integrity of Papua within Indonesian territory.

She said the Papua issue had been brought up by only a few groups of Congresspeople, and it would not affect the political support of the U.S government with regard to Indonesia's integrity.