Papua Barat: A new province to be declared in West Papua

Written by a West Papuan citizen...

According to Indonesia, there are now two provinces in West Papua - Papua and Irian Jaya Barat. This division of West Papua into two provinces by the Government of Indonesia (GOI) was clearly rejected by Papuan representative bodies. Authorities in Jayapura (West Papua) accused the Indonesian government of violating their own Special Autonomy Law, claiming that creation of the province of Irian Jaya Barat is unconstitutional. Therefore, they brought the case to Mahkamah Konstitusi, the highest court in Indonesia which deals with constitutional matters. Although Papuan representatives won the case, the GOI rejects the outcome, and refuses to reverse their arbitrary creation of the Irian Jaya Barat province.

Yesterday (December 22, 2006) Sinar Harapan, an Indonesian daily newspaper, reported that another province will be declared on January 5, 2007, with Sorong as its capital. The new province will be named Provinsi Papua Barat, coming into effect in April 2007. This new province has been declared by a team whose officials are Dr. Dortheus Asmuruf, MM (chairman), David Obadiri, BA (vice chairman), and Dr. Don Flassy (secretary).

Mr. Obadiri told Sinar Harapan that the declaration of Papua Barat Province is supported by the people and has been done in accordance with UU No. 21 Tahun 2001 of the Special Autonomy Law of Papua. He also stated that the team has given presentations to the Provincial Government of Papua, House of Representative of Papua Province (DPRP) and the Papua People's Assembly (MRP).

He added that the declaration of the new province has been approved by Papua's governor, Barnabas Suebu, SH; Chairman of the DPRP, Dr. John Ibo; and Chairman of the MRP, Dr. Agus Alua. According to Mr. Obadiri, the declaration of the Province of Papua Barat on the fifth of January will be carried out in the Hockey Field of Sorong city, and will be attended by the local people. Invitation cards for the purpose have been printed.

Among those invited are the Governor of Papua, Chairman of the DPRP, Chairman of the MRP, the Chief of Papua's territorial military command (Pangdam Trikora), the head of the provincial police (Kapolda Papua), the Chief of the public prosecutor (kajati Papua), and Regents (bupati) from within the to-be-declared province. Mr. Obadiri explains that the territory of Papua Barat province will include Fakfak, Kaimana, Sorong, Kota Sorong, Sorong Selatan, Raja Ampat, Bintuni, Teluk Wondama and Manokwari regencies, covering all of the regencies which are now under the Irian Jaya Barat Province.

When asked whether the new province is a provocative move against the Irian Jaya Barat province, which is headed by a definitive governor Mr. Abraham Atururi, Mr. Obadiri insisted that the Province of Papua Barat is founded in accordance with Special Autonomy Law. "The Law has to be applied fully and consequently throughout Papua," he said. Vice chairman of Komisi A of Papua Province, Mr. Ramses Wally confirmed on Friday last that there will be a declaration of Papua Barat Province in Sorong on January 5, 2007.

Many West Papuan citizens are afraid that the division of Papua into smaller provinces will create horizontal conflicts among the Papuan themselves. Such conflicts occured in the Central Papua region when Jakarta tried to launch Central Papua Province (Provinsi Papua Tengah). Many Papuans had to die during the communal clashes before Jakarta dropped the ill-fated Central Papua Province from its political map. The creation of the Irian Jaya Barat Province supports the GOI’s strategy to undermine provincial authorities in Jayapura. Some officials in Jakarta are said to believe that members of Papuan governmental bodies such as the MRP have been influenced and contaminated by the idea of separatism.

MRP officials have indeed released statements against Jakarta in the past. They stated that dividing Papua into smaller provinces will only attract more migrants and fuel horizontal conflict. It is unclear why they are now the ones who are apparently approving the creation of Provinsi Papua Barat - a province whose territory is essentially the same as Provinsi Irian Jaya Barat, which was also created by Jakarta (under questionable legal authority). Only the capital cities are different.

Besides vertical conflict between the local government and the central government, there is also disaccord among the Papuan tribes concerning the creation of the new province. Some, mostly represented by the Ayamaru tribe, want Sorong as its capital. Others, such as the Mandacan or Arfak tribes want it to be Manokwari. This is important to them because the lion’s share of the budget will be allocated to the capital city. As a result, the pending announcement has already created internal conflict between Papuan tribes.

Jakarta’s intent is clearly to weaken and divide the Papuans, and to distract them from their immediate goal of a Land of Peace, and their ultimate goal of self-determination. Conflict between Sorong and Manokwari is the outcome they want, and many Papuans will likely waste their energy on this arbitrary division, rather than unite in their national struggle for self-government.

... is a concerned citizen living in West Papua.