Presidential instruction

Presidential instruction

From Koran Tempo

This nation has been turned upside down by endless conflicts and various vested interests, ranging from the hike in fuel prices to conflicts of interest among our public representatives opposing the issuance of Presidential Instruction No 1/2003 as an executory regulation for Law No. 45/1999 on the division of Papua into three provinces.

The objections have come from a number of Golkar Faction members, who have urged the government to consistently implement the law on special autonomy for Papua. The party's objection to the enactment of Law No. 45 is a stale political joke, something disgusting to see or hear. This Law was passed in response to the desire of some people living in Papua to have their own provinces in the western part of the island.

This aspiration was warmly welcomed and approved by the provincial councillors from Golkar. Based on this aspiration, the government, along with the legislature, hammered out the draft law. However, given the then unfavorable situation, the government decided to postpone its implementation. The issuance of Presidential Instruction No 1/2003 will, as a matter of fact, represent an alternative solution to the Papuan problem. I am suspicious that behind the objections to the issuance of the Presidential Instruction, there is something fishy going on here.

Golkar people have opposed an increase in the number of provinces in Papua as Golkar will benefit from there continuing to be a single province by freely using the special autonomy funds to pursue its own interests in the next general election. Apart from this, objecting to increasing the number of Papuan provinces will mean encouraging the use of special autonomy funds in the interests of the Free Papuan Movement.

ROBBY KRISIFU

Tangerang, Banten