Paras Indonesia, November, 07 2005 @ 09:47 pm
Mr. Ramos-Horta's Diplomacy For Papua
Enrico Aditjondro
As it turns out, Jose Ramos-Horta has not forgotten about West Papua. But
somehow, as some close to him have noticed, he has failed to recall some of the
things he stood up for.
Years ago, before he was a Nobel Peace Price Laureate, he promised a group of
West Papua supporters that he would also fight for the rights of the Papuans along
with his struggle for East Timor's independence. In 1999, he achieved the later (and of
course more prioritized) part, then the promise to the Papuans was shelved.
Last month though, now a Timor Leste's Foreign Minister, Ramos-Horta was
interviewed by the New Zealand media Scoop on the struggle for Papua's
independence as he was attending the 36th Pacific Island Forum.
While Ramos-Horta said the Papuans and the Timorese were struggling in a common
cause of self-determination, the background of each situation was generally different
from another. He said Timor was luckier in the term that it was not recognized by the
United Nations from the beginning. Another lucky aspect, according to Papuan
observers, was that no multinational company was established in Timor, while Papua
was greatly influenced by the mighty mining company Freeport McMoRan Copper &
Gold Inc.
But John Saltford of London wrote to Scoop that West Papua (or West New Guinea
as he refers it) - quite separately from Indonesia - was listed by the UN as a non-self
governing territory until the Dutch left. Therefore, he says, "there are important
differences between West Papua's situation and that of East Timor during its time
under Indonesian occupation - but, despite Horta's comments, their historical status
as non-self governing territories is not one of them".
So, is there no hope for a peaceful and independent West Papua?
Ramos-Horta, like usual, was diplomatic. He defended Indonesia, saying that it is a
much different country from what it was five years ago.
"You have a more open society in Indonesia," he told Scoop. He said the country has
become a more dynamic, pluralistic political system that allows for dissent to be
heard. Furthermore, he praised the Indonesian President: "I can tell you I know
President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He is a very sensitive man and he will be
sympathetic".
"I believe that the new, the government in Indonesia is very sensitive to the pressures
from some regions like Aceh to grant even greater autonomy. And West Papua has a
greater chance to negotiate a status similar to Aceh today, whereby the West
Papuans would be masters in their own province, obtaining a greater share of their
resources for the benefit of the people living there, as against in the past when the
wealth of West Papua was squandered by elements in the central government in
Java."
But like Aceh, Ramos-Horta's main tip to Papua is to drop the independence demand
and seek instead greater autonomy.
"The perception, so far, in the region and around the world, is that West Papuans are
demanding independence, and as long as there is a group that is the most active one
that purports for the West Papuans and demands independence, you will find a lot of
resistance among the international community because for this reason: If West
Papuans are entitled to independence because of their current grievances, then why
not the Tamil in Sri Lanka? Why not the people in Southern Thailand and in
Mindanao? No government wants to open a can of worms."
Did he think that way when he was lobbying governments to support his tiny nation's
independence?
An unnamed commentator says: "I find it quite amazing that someone so well
acquainted with Indonesian brutality can turn his back on a neighbor. He spent most
of his life, "seeking independence" and "appealing to the international community for
help". But now he says other occupied peoples should not kick up a stink. They
should accept some pathetic pretence of autonomy. Mr. Ramos Horta clearly does
not believe in the concept of SELF-DETERMINATION".
All in all, Ramos-Horta offered three recomendations for West Papuan groups:
- Moderate their demands to accept Indonesia's offer of special autonomy rather
than full secession from Indonesia;
- Negotiate directly with the newly elected Indonesian President Soesilo
Bambang Yudhoyono;
- Not attempt to enlist the assistance of Australia as that would likely be
counter-productive in terms of dealing with Jakarta.
A counter of these suggestions came from a seasoned human rights activist Carmel
Budiarjo. The Tapol founder says the West Papua groups (churches and activists)
have already for years lobbying the Indonesian government but "have come up against
a wall of silence". She suggests that a person with the stature of Ramos-Horta could
have been more help in chatting up with the Jakarta government "urging them to enter
into talks with West Papuan representatives on the future status of the territory". She
also says that he could have made the Pacific Islands Forum as a place to raise the
plea – but it was left uneventful.
Copyright (c) 2005 - PT Laksamana Global International. All rights reserved
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