The Jakarta Post, February 11, 2003
Papua legislature rejects establishment of new provinces
Nethy Dharma Somba and Kanis Dursin, Jayapura, Papua
The Papua Legislative Council (Papua DPRD) rejected on Monday the government
decision to split up the province into three provinces and vowed to file a judicial review
with the Supreme Court against a presidential decree endorsing the establishment of
the provinces of Central and West Irian Jaya.
Papua DPRD chairman John Ibo argued that indigenous Papuans were not yet ready
to take up the challenge posed by the two new provinces, and that splitting up Papua
into three provinces now would only benefit non-Papuans, who would be recruited to
fill vacancies in the bureaucracy.
"All DPRD members reject the government decision to create new provinces in
Papua," John said before a group of over 2,000 student protesters inside the Papua
legislature compound in Jayapura on Monday.
"And then thieves would come in and rob the province," John said to thundering
applause with cries of "merdeka", or "independence", from the crowd.
John was referring to presidential decree No. 1/2003 on the establishment of Central
Irian Jaya and West Irian Jaya provinces, as well as the creation of Paniai, Mimika
and Puncak Jaya regencies and Sorong mayoralty. The decree, issued by President
Megawati Soekarnoputri on Jan. 27, 2003, was a follow-up to law No. 45/1999 on the
same issue.
Under law No. 45/1999, Papua was already divided into three provinces: Papua, which
covers the area along the border it shares with Papua New Guinea, including
provincial capital Jayapura in the north, Wamena in the center and Merauke in the
south; Central Irian Jaya, which covers Biak, Serui, Enarotali, Mulia, Nabire and
Timika; and West Irian Jaya, which covers Sorong, Manukwari and Fak-fak.
Following the enactment of the law in 1999, which many saw as an attempt to
weaken the secessionist movement in the province, students and civil society
activists in Papua staged street rallies to protest the ruling. The protests peaked with
the occupation of the Papua Governor's office in Jayapura for three days.
The protests prompted the Papua legislature to hold a plenary meeting and issue
decree No. 11/1999 rejecting the splitting of Papua into three provinces. The
government later issued a decree delaying the implementation of law No. 45/1999.
John said the legislature would once again send DPRD I decree No. 11/1999 to the
central government to remind President Megawati that Papuans were still opposed to
the plan to create the new provinces.
He added that the local legislature, the governor and students, as well as civil society
activists, would set up a team to analyze the decree and prepare to file a judicial
review with the Supreme Court against the ruling.
He accused President Megawati of deceiving the Papuans by splitting up the
province, despite an earlier understanding that the province would not be split until the
Papuans were ready to fill the additional positions which would be created in the
bureaucracy.
"When DPRD members and Governor (J.P. Solossa) met with President Megawati in
Jakarta, she told us that the new provinces would not be created unless the Papuans
themselves were ready and requesting it. Now that she has issued the decree, she is
cheating us," John said. He did not say that he himself had met with Megawati.
He stressed that Papuans were not opposed to the idea of splitting the province, "but
let the people decide what they want."
"We have been cheated repeatedly, and now we are not only cheated, but also
intimidated," John said without elaborating.
Over 2,000 students from a total of 12 universities and other higher learning institutes
in Jayapura, Abepura and Sentani detained a truck convoy from Abepura, some eight
kilometers outside the provincial capital, to Jayapura, protesting the central
government's decision to split up and establish several regencies and a mayoralty in
Papua province.
"We want the central government to revoke its decision to accelerate the
establishment of Central and West Irian Jaya provinces," said John Baransano,
senate chairman of the Abepura-based Protestant theological school, STT I.S. Kijne.
The protesters also charged that presidential decree No. 1/2003 contradicted law No.
21/2001 on Papua's special autonomy status, especially article 76, which stipulates
that the establishment of new provinces in Papua should be conducted with the
approval of the Papua People's Assembly (MRP) and the Papua House of
Representatives (DPRP), after seriously taking into account socio-cultural unity, the
readiness of human resources, and economic ability, as well as future development.
The MRP has not yet been established, although the Papua legislature submitted the
draft of a ruling on the establishment of MRP to the central government six months
ago, which remains unsigned for unknown reasons.
The government granted special autonomy status to Papua in 2002 to appease
indigenous people who had long harbored resentment over development policies,
which they considered to have marginalized Papuans.
A minority secessionist movement has been fighting for Papuan independence since
the 1960s.
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