The Jakarta Post, 4/4/2004 5:39:40 PM
Papua independence leader's son runs in RI polls
SENTANI, Papua (Reuters): Less than three years after special forces troops killed
his father, restive Papua's most prominent independence leader at the time, Boy
Eluay wants to be an Indonesian politician.
His mission? To topple President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Eluay is one of many pro-independence Papuan activists jostling for position in
Indonesia's parliamentary elections on Monday even as authorities get tougher with
separatists.
"There are many ways in having your voice heard. You can go to the jungle and fight
or you can go to Jakarta and fight," said Eluay, 33, who is running for the Nation
Awakening Party (PKB) -- the political vehicle of former president Abdurrahman
Wahid.
"I'm not fighting for the party's interests, I'm fighting for the Papuan people," added the
heavily built Boy, his voice rising with emotion as he spoke outside his house at the
scenic lakeside Papuan town of Sentani.
The tactic is the most concrete example yet of Papuan activists and church leaders
trying to work within the Indonesian system to bring about change.
That is in sharp contrast to Indonesia's other separatist hotspot, Aceh province in the
northwest, where most opposition comes from armed rebels fighting a separatist war.
Special forces troops killed Boy's father, Theys Eluay, in November 2001. Seven
soldiers were sentenced over the murder.
Like other independence activists, Boy Eluay expressed deep disappointment with
Megawati's tough stance toward the independence movement in resource-rich Papua.
Her approach differs markedly from Wahid's, who allowed the hoisting of the Papuan
separatist flag and gave the province its indigenous name.
Eluay exudes optimism about his chances despite aggressive campaigns by the
major parties.
"The big parties offered me big money but I refused. I still believe in independence but
for now, let's get rid of Megawati," he said.
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