West Irian Jaya poll may spark conflict

West Irian Jaya poll may spark conflict

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Papuan leaders urged the central government to cancel a plan for
direct elections in the newly created, but controversial West
Irian Jaya province, as they believe it could cause serious
conflict in the resource-rich area.

Frans Maniagasi, deputy secretary of the Special Team for the
Empowerment of Special Autonomy for Papua, said that the Papuan
people were currently focusing on the recruitment of the
membership of the Papua People's Assembly (MRP).

"The plan to organize direct elections in West Irian Jaya will
disrupt the MRP recruitment process and may spark conflict among
proponents and opponents in the province. The government must
cancel its plan," he told the press here on Sunday.

At least three people were killed and dozens of others were
injured in clashes between supporters and opponents of the
establishment of the new province in 2003.

To avoid a similar melee, he urged the government to cancel
the direct election in the province and focus on the selection of
the MRP membership.

Government regulation No.54/2004 issued recently actually
prohibits the central government or any provincial administration
from making any decisions on West Irian Jaya province following a
dispute over the legality of its creation.

Article 73 of the government regulation authorizes the Papuan
governor, the provincial legislature and the MRP to seek a
peaceful solution for troubled West Irian Jaya.

The government is currently preparing a draft regulation to
deal with the direct elections of regional heads scheduled to
take place sometime in the middle of this year.

Rumors have been circulating among the Papuan leaders that
West Irian Jaya will be included on the list of provinces that
will have direct elections.

Indeed, a stipulation for the West Irian Jaya election is set
out in the regulation that government has drafted.

Anthonius Rahail, chairman of the special team, earlier said
that a direct poll in West Irian Jaya would negate Law No.
21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua, as well as the
Constitutional Court's recent ruling on the troubled province and
the newly issued Government Regulation No. 54/2004 on the MRP.

Maniagasi urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to closely
examine the local election draft before finalizing it, otherwise
he would repeat the mistakes of his predecessor Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

He accused the officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs of
pressuring the President to violate existing laws.

"President Susilo may repeat the mistakes of Megawati. We
suggest that the President closely examine the draft before
giving his approval," he said.

Former Papua governor Barnabas Suebu also said he hoped
President Susilo would not repeat the mistakes of his
predecessor.

Maniagasi and Barnabas were referring to a controversial
presidential decree issued by Megawati in 2003, which effectively
implemented Law No. 45/1999 on the division of Papua into three
provinces: West Irian Jaya, Central Irian Jaya and Papua.

The controversy led to a judicial review by the Constitutional
Court, which issued a rather ambiguous decision.

The Court annulled in November certain chapters of Law No.
45/1999. The Court, however, recognized the existence of West
Irian Jaya province, given the fact that the province already had
an operating administration, a legislature and four elected
members of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD)
representing the province in Jakarta.

The partition of Papua has seen by some as an effort by the
central government to "divide and conquer Papua", where a low-
level secessionist movement has been simmering since the 1960s.