Papuan protesters narrow minded over autonomy: Salossa
Papuan protesters narrow minded over autonomy: Salossa
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura
A three-day evaluation of regional autonomy in Papua ended on
Friday, with one of the most contentious issues raised being the
appointment of civil servants in the province.
The issue was brought to the forefront amid prolonged protests
by native Papuans, over the appointment of civil servants hailing
from outside Papua.
Such protests have been frequent since 2001, when the central
government began its regional autonomy drive, which allowed
regional administrations to have bigger roles and more power in
administering their territories.
The most recent protest concerned the inauguration of the head
of the Papua Fisheries Office, Astiler Maharadja, and the
inauguration of the head of the Finance Bureau at the Papua
Secretariat, Paul Onibala.
The protesters, during the inauguration ceremony on Oct. 11,
objected to the appointment of the two as they are not native
Papuans. They said their appointment dampened the spirit of
regional autonomy, as it failed to make Papuans the masters of
their own land.
Not all Papuans, however, agree. Papua Governor Jaap Salossa,
a native Papuan, expressed concern over the mounting protest,
saying that the protesters had narrowly defined regional
autonomy.
He criticized the common perception among Papuans, including
top government officials, that all strategic posts should
automatically go to native Papuans, following the implementation
of regional autonomy.
"They think that all posts should go to native Papuans. They
disregard meritocracy, and that is wrong.
If we indulge this false perception, it will keep Papuans
dumb," said Salossa.
Ignoring the protest, Salossa said that the provincial
administration would continue to fill strategic posts with both
Papuans and non-Papuans, based on their achievements and
intellectual criteria.
He said this would benefit native Papuans and the
administration in the end, as it would motivate Papuans to work
harder to enhance their professional skills, to compete with
fellow Indonesian citizens outside the province.
Besides, the best people for the job would run the provincial
administration, which would benefit all residents of Papua, both
natives and outsiders, he said.
A similar view was expressed by the rector of Cenderawasih
University, Frans Wospakrik. He said that a narrow view of
regional autonomy could spark conflicts between native Papuans
and outsiders.
He added that regional autonomy should motivate Papuans to
work harder to compete with people from other regions, so that
the quality of human resources in Papua would be on par with that
of other provinces.
Separately, Budy Setyanto, the director of the Institute for
Civil Society in Papua, said the implementation of regional
autonomy in Papua had not met expectations.
Budy criticized the provincial budget's allocation this year,
He said most of it had been set aside for civil servant and
councillor expenses (73 percent), compared to 27 percent for
public services.