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.