Papuans promote interethnic marriages to preserve culture

Kanis Dursin, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The 150 or so people in the room suddenly burst into laughter when one of the speakers conveyed what he said was an appeal from Papuan girls.

"I would like to convey a message from Papuan girls. They want all Papuan men to marry Papuan girls for the sake of posterity," middle-aged Protestant priest Karel Phil Erari said when delivering his speech in a three-day meeting of Papuans in Diaspora here.

The male-dominated audience, who had listened intently to his speech burst into laughter, with some clapping their hands, while others punched their fists into the air. Boys and girls seating side by side looked at one another, giggling.

Fears of losing their Melanesian identity and of their ethnic group disappearing permeated the first meeting of Papuans living outside their province in Jakarta over the weekend. Some 150 Papuans attended the meeting that ended on Sunday.

Most participants claimed that they had been marginalized and made insignificant by the central government politically, economically, socially and culturally.

Leonard Imbiri, secretary-general of Dewan Adat Papua or the Papuan Cultural Council, which facilitated the meeting, said their fears went beyond the possibility of losing their cultural identity.

"The fear is not limited to losing our cultural identity, but also whether or not Papuans can survive as an ethnic group and live in Papua," Leonard told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He said that spiraling bloody violence resulting in deaths of Papuans, the unchecked spread of HIV/AIDS, the poor education system and serious lack of health services had raised suspicions among Papuans at large that there was an organized attempt at ethnic cleansing or genocide.

The Post reported earlier that two tribes in Merauke, South Papua had vanished due to HIV/AIDS. They allegedly got the virus from prostitutes "offered" to Papuans in exchange for the fragrant eaglewood locally known as kayu gaharu.

According to Karel, the government's total disregard of the Papuan people's existence in any major decisions -- be they political and economic -- have only exacerbated the fears among Papuans.

Pointing to the government's decision to partition the province, Karel asserted that the special autonomy status was a dowry Jakarta had to pay in order to keep resource-rich Papua as part of the country.

The Autonomy Law, introduced on Jan. 1, 2002, stipulates that any move to split the province should gain the approval from the yet to be established Papuan People's Council (MRP). Despite opposition from Papuans, Jakarta decided to split the province.

Karel said the move further eroded Papuan people's fragile trust in the central government.

During a discussion attended by sociologist La Ode Ida on Saturday, participants also said they were also economically marginalized despite the fact that the province was rich in natural resources.

Papua, the country's easternmost province, is home to mining company PT Freeport Indonesia and gas firm British Petroleum in Tangguh.

La Ode Ida warned that the realization of being marginalized may lead to social conflict and urged the government to approach the Papuan elite -- religious and tribal leaders, professionals, bureaucrats and business people -- to discuss the issue openly.