The 1969 Papua referendum

The 1969 Papua referendum

Reading your editorial titled Spotlight on Papua (The Jakarta
Post, July 16, in response to the recent publication of
declassified U.S. documents by a private Washington-based
research group, which raises questions about Indonesia's takeover
of the disputed territory 35 years ago, I find it necessary to
make some comments.

Quoting the sixth and seventh paragraphs, it said: "It should
be remembered that when Indonesia gained its independence in
1945, the country comprised more than 400 ethnic groups,
encompassing Stone Age to modern civilization. Indonesian leaders
believed that the most efficient way to hold the referendum was
through tribal chiefs. Even today the vast and rugged province,
which is 10 times the size of the Netherlands, is still acutely
underdeveloped. When the referendum was held some Papuan tribes
still lived in Stone Age societies. Language was a big barrier as
Indonesian was new in the province and the tribes' dialects were
alien to Indonesian officials."

An argument to justify your claim above is that, due to the
rugged geographical location and illiteracy of the Papuans at
that time, 1,025 hand-picked Papuans who voted in favor of
integration with Indonesia through an "Indonesian-style
referendum," known as musyawarah (consultation or deliberation)
in 1969, would be the best method, instead of exercising a one-
man, one-vote plebiscite as guaranteed in article 18 of the New
York Agreement.

The agreement reads, "All adult Papuans have the right to
participate in an act of self-determination, to be carried out in
accordance with international practice".

Honestly and truthfully, I'd like to underline the point that
your claim above is definitely baseless, misleading and untrue.
Why? As you know, in 1971, all eligible Papuan voters (not just
appointed representatives) had, from all walks of life -- Stone-
Age tribesmen to semi-modern society -- proven themselves to
successfully participate in Indonesian general elections, two
years after Dutch New Guinea was incorporated into the Republic
of Indonesia through the 1969 plebiscite. The facts, however,
showed that the backwardness, underdevelopment and high levels of
illiteracy before and after two years of integration remained the
same.

Also, the language barrier, as you claimed above, did not, in
reality, turn out to be a large obstacle. After receiving some
briefing on methods and polling procedures from appointed
bilingual officials, the entire process was successful.

JOHN FATIE
Tembagapura, Papua