Susilo gives Christmas 'gifts' to Papua, Munir's family
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ahead of Christmas and New Year's Eve, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has given two precious gifts to Papuans and the family of the late rights campaigner, Munir.
He signed on Wednesday night presidential regulations on the establishment of the long-awaited Papua People's Assembly and an independent team to probe Munir's death.
Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said in Surabaya on Thursday that the President's signing of the two regulations showed his commitment to implementing the 2001 special autonomy law for Papua as well as to uncovering the mystery behind Munir's death.
The regulations were signed just two days before Susilo is scheduled to visit the easternmost province.
"When visiting Papua (on Friday), the President can face the people by saying that his (presidential campaign) promise, to implement fully special autonomy for Papua, has been fulfilled," Andi was quoted by Antara as saying.
He added that the government would complete the establishment of the people's assembly in the next two months.
The issue of the people's assembly has come to the fore in recent years, particularly after the central government, then under president Megawati Soekarnoputri, divided Papua into three provinces: Papua, Central Papua and West Papua -- based on a 1999 law.
Papuans considered the partition of Papua into three provinces as illegal as there was no people's assembly to consult with. And yet, the central government went ahead with the plan.
Papuans then brought the case to the Constitutional Court, which later annulled the 1999 law on the partition of Papua -- as it was against the 2001 autonomy law -- but recognized the existence of West Papua province.
Papuans have apparently interpreted that any government decision on Papua must involve or at least consult the people's assembly, but the central government sees it differently.
For the central government, the people's assembly is no more than just a cultural representation of Papuans -- after all their members are not elected.
Andi warned that the people's assembly should not be seen as a "super-body" but as an institution that would contribute to the development of Papua by adopting local values.
"That needs to be understood by Papuan people," Andi said.
On the Munir case, Andi said, the President was serious in his efforts to help reveal the identity/identities of those responsible for the death of the noted rights campaigner and punish them accordingly.
Munir, the founder of both the Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), died of arsenic poisoning aboard a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7.
"The President will do whatever he can to solve this case," Andi said.
He said that the team would not impinge upon the police's ongoing investigation but would strengthen it.
When asked about its members, Andi said the members would include names suggested during a meeting with representatives of Munir's family and Imparsial.
"It can be said that the names of the team members are in accordance with our previous talks, with additional members representing the government, such as those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General's Office," Andi said.
Earlier, the police and activists, close friends and family members of the late Munir had agreed to form an independent investigative team to assist the police investigation into Munir's death.
The activists and Munir's family had even submitted a list of suggested members to the police. But none of the names have been made public.