`Presidential decree weakens Papuans' confidence in govt'

`Presidential decree weakens Papuans' confidence in govt'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Papuan intellectuals and observers joined forces Sunday to oppose
the formation of two new provinces in Papua, saying the issuance
of Presidential Instruction No. 1/2003 to enforce the 1999 law on
the two provinces had weakened again the Papuan people's
confidence in the central government.

Muhammad Musaat, a political analyst from Cenderawasih
University in Abepura, Papua, said the presidential instruction
had blasted special autonomy to pieces, raining confusion down on
people in the province.

"The presidential instruction has clearly negated Law No.
21/2001 on special autonomy. Both the local elite in Papua and
local people have never been asked for their approval of the
formation of the two provinces," he said during a seminar on the
political and legal implications of the presidential instruction
on Sunday.

Most Papuans had been convinced of the central government's
commitment to solving the Papua issue when the government gave
the province special autonomy in 2001, but it failed to maintain
the people's confidence by issuing the presidential instruction
to divide Papua into three provinces, he said.

"The presidential instruction has raised skepticism among the
people as the people and the elite are seriously focussing on
implementing the special autonomy to improve the people's social
welfare and the local administration's service to the public."

Leaders of religious groups and officials in Papua have
opposed the presidential instruction, because besides raising
confusion and unrest among the people, the presidential
instruction went against the special autonomy law.

Former regional autonomy minister Ryas Rasyid warned the
government of strong opposition to the presidential instruction
from Papuans, saying the formation of the provinces would create
friction among Papuans.

Oentarto, director general for public administration and
regional autonomy, defended the government's policy, saying the
division of Papua into three provinces was not contrary to
special autonomy and was aimed at speeding up the development
program in the region.

The new instruction was issued to lift an instruction issued
by former president B.J. Habibie to delay the enforcement of Law
No. 45/1999 on the formation of West and Central Irian Jaya
provinces.

Agus Sumule criticized the central government, which he said
was not serious in solving the Papua issue. He said the
presidential instruction had displaced Papua out of the
Indonesian unitary state.

"legally, Papua is still inside the unitary state but, in
fact, Papuan people are no longer confident in a government that
has deceived Papuans several times," he said.

Andi Ramses Marpaung, a lecturer at the Public Administration
Institute (AIP), said Papua needed no new provinces and regencies
but new districts to speed up the government's service to
Papuans, many of whom lived in remote areas.

"The formation of the two provinces will likely use up to 90
percent of the autonomy funds on bureaucracy as the current
provincial administration spent 80 percent of the 2002 budget on
bureaucracy," said Marpaung, also the former district head in
Paniai and Nabire.

The political analysts were of the same opinion that the
government's paranoia of separatism was behind the formation of
the two new provinces.

They said it could be counterproductive as indigenous Papuans
could form a new alliance to fight for the territory's
independence.