TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Commentary: Papuan women, youth remind us of second class citizens

Many Papuans feel they are second class citizens because of the entrenched stigma against them, whether it is ethnic, racial, cultural, social or economic. 

Ati Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Jakarta
Wed, October 11, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

Commentary: Papuan women, youth remind us of second class citizens Imitation crown: Two Papuan girls hold a hat decorated with fake Cendrawasih bird feathers in Jayapura, Papua. (JP/Nethy Dharma Somba)

W

hat a contrast from East Timor. Catalonians and Kurds may envy citizens of today’s Timor Leste. Although residents of the Spanish territory are much wealthier than the Timorese and after the result of their referendum they are not getting anywhere close to the global congratulations the then-Indonesian citizens received after their 1999 vote.

Although Iraq’s Kurds have more world sympathy than the Catalonians, particularly as a militia who helped push back Islamic State (IS) movement terrorists, the non-binding result of their referendum also raised eyebrows. More tension in the Middle East may affect the war against IS movement terrorists, including sympathizers in our parts. 

No matter how we fought independence fighters and tried to win over the East Timorese since the 1970s, the referendum results showed that almost 80 percent voted for separation. Many were shocked because for decades we had kept dismissing their grievances as foreign meddling.

After winning global praise for curbing independence aspirations in Aceh province after the terrible 2004 earthquake and tsunami, we’ve largely seen the end of separatist aspirations — except for Papua. 

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

Commentary: Papuan women, youth remind us of second class citizens

Rp 29,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 29,000
{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.