PDI-P campaigns for Papua split

PDI-P campaigns for Papua split

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although the government's decision to split Papua into three
smaller provinces has met with strong resistance from Papuans,
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
insists that the policy be implemented.

The party, which is chaired by President Megawati
Soekarnoputri, urged the government immediately to inform people
about the decision to divide Papua province.

"The people should understand that the separation of Papua
into three provinces is not meant to hamper the implementation of
special autonomy," the party's deputy chairman, Roy B.B. Janis,
who also heads the party's faction in the House of
Representatives, said on Tuesday.

Separately, legislator Simon Patrice Morin said he and other
Papuan-born lawmakers had warned the President that the
instruction she issued to speed up the process of splitting Papua
violated Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua. The
legislators have demanded that the presidential instruction be
revoked.

Having 422,000 square kilometers of territory, Papua, the
country's largest province, is inhabited by only 2.2 million
people.

According to the presidential instruction, the province will
be divided into Central Irian Jaya, West Irian Jaya and Papua.

The decision to divide the province was made in 1999 under
president B.J. Habibie, but the implementation of the policy was
delayed by his successor, Abdurrahman Wahid.

Article 76 of the special autonomy law for Papua stipulates
that any decision to divide up Papua province must be approved by
the Papua People's Assembly (MRP) and the Papua Legislative
Council (DPRP).

The presidential instruction on the division of Papua violates
the special autonomy law because the government did not receive
approval from the MRP and DPRP, Simon, of the Golkar Party, said.
The MRP has not yet been established.

The Papua Legislative Council has announced its opposition to
the policy. The council said it would file a lawsuit with the
Supreme Court to fight the policy.

Speaking to the media after PDI Perjuangan's weekly meeting,
led by Megawati, party deputy chairman Roy said the establishment
of new provinces in Papua required the full support of the
people.

"We cannot rush to implement the policy as the government has
to make sure people are ready to enforce it," Roy said.

The division of the province has sparked confusion regarding
the implementation of the special autonomy law, which gives the
province 70 percent of all revenue from natural resources in
Papua.

PDI Perjuangan treasurer Noviantika Nasution said after the
party's meeting that Megawati had ordered Minister of Home
Affairs Hari Sabarno to travel to Papua to resolve the
controversy.

"The President said the minister of home affairs will meet
with provincial legislators in the near future," she said.

Asked about the possibility of the President revoking the
policy due to concern it could create economic gaps between the
provinces, Noviantika said: "I cannot say whether that issue was
taken into consideration by the President."

Lawmaker Simon said legislators from Papua would urge the
House of Representatives to discuss the President's special
instruction on the province.

There has been speculation that the policy is aimed at
breaking the secessionist movement in Papua, which has existed
since the 1960s.

However, the government has said splitting Papua into smaller
provinces is meant solely to help boost development in the
natural-resources rich but underdeveloped territory.