No MRP Endorsement of the declaration of Papua Barat Province

Written by a West Papuan citizen

Ms. Anisa Bame, one of the members of Majelis Rakyat Papua (MRP) or Papua Consultative Assembly, stated that MRP has never given its approval in a plenary session on the declaration of Papua Barat Province. Several days before Christmas, Sinar Harapan daily newspaper in Jakarta reported that a team led by Dr. Dortheus Asmuruf, David Obadiri, B.A. and Drs. Don Flassy will declare the new province in Sorong as its capital on January 5, 2007. According to Obadiri, the territory of Provinsi Papua Barat will be the same as the territory of Provinsi Irian Jaya Barat.

Speaking on an interview with Radio Matoa, Ms. Bame said that what MRP is doing right now is “pushing� the Government of Indonesia (GOI) to place the Irian Jaya Barat Province under the framework of UU No. 21 Tahun 2001 on the Special Autonomy Law of Papua. “the news in mass media about MRP’s approval on the declaration of Provinsi Papua Barat is misleading,� she added. Her statement has not been confirmed by other MRP members in Jayapura. “It is only the personal interest of the declarator who lost in the governor election and it is not the will of the Papuan people. That man is in “krisis jabatan� (crisis of position).

Under special autonomy law, MRP is the highest consultative body in West Papua and is the first to be consulted before any major administrative change be introduced in West Papua.

MRP urges the GOI to change the name of Provinsi Irian Jaya Barat or IJB (meaning West Irian Jaya Province) to Provinsi Papua Barat (meaning West Papua Province). The word IRIAN stands for Ikut Republik Indonesia Anti Netherland (Follow Republic of Indonesia Anti the Netherlands).

Dr. Dortheus Asmuruf was one of the candidates in the governor election of IJB Province. The election, conducted at the beginning of 2006, was won by ret. Brig.Gen. Abraham Atururi, a native Papuan who is a retired marine general from Indonesian Navy.

“He (Mr. Asmuruf) must stop it to prevent more bloodshed among the Papuans,� Anisa Bame said to Matoa Radio. Two days ago the regent of Manokwari regency Dominggus Mandacan stated, on an Indonesian Radio, that he will pledge his life and post to defend the IJB Province and Manokwari. This is a strong message to the declarators that they must stop the declaration. According to KBR 68 H radio in Jakarta (January 2nd 2007), the chairman of the committee who will declare the Papua Barat province, Mr. Josafat Kambu, said that they will keep on declaring the Provinsi Papua Barat in Sorong on the scheduled date despite no permission issued by the Indonesian police. Meanwhile in Manokwari, the capital city of the IJB Province, Mr. Demianus Ijie, chairman of DPRD IJB (the provinsial legislative body of the IJB province), stated that the GOI will not support that declaration.

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.

Following the fall of the dictator President Soeharto in 1998, West Papuan have been intensively calling the international community to urge the UN to review its conduct in the so called “Act of Free Choice (Pepera 1969).� The act which the West Papuan call the Act of No Choice is the focus of their refusal to become part of Indonesia. It was conducted in July and August 1969 where 1,022 people were handpicked, from the population of around 700,000 people, and forced to vote openly in front of Indonesian armed soldiers for the integration with Indonesia.

In response to Papuan refusal to become part of Indonesia, the Government of Indonesia through its house of representative (DPR) passed the Special Autonomy Law in October 2001. In 2003 instead of answering the Papuan call for dialogue on the reexamination Pepera 1969 and the retraction of the Papua’s history of integration into Indonesia, President Megawati issued her first instruction (Inpres 1/2003) to accelerate the implementation of Law 45/1999 about the division of Papua into three provinces. Provincial government in Jayapura accused the central government of violating their own special autonomy law. MRP has frequently stated that the partition of Papua into smaller provinces, regencies and districts will only bring more horizontal conflicts among the Papuan and bring more migrants into West Papua.

... is a concerned citizen living in West Papua, now targeted by Indonesian security forces.