Looking ahead on Papua

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 05/01/2006 11:08 AM | Opinion

In a conversation with a Papuan gentleman who is collecting data for his doctoral degree on regional autonomy issues, it was said that the recent uproar triggered by the granting of temporary protection visas to 42 Papuans by the Australian government is no more than an effort by some irresponsible parties to disrupt Indonesia's national stability and development.

Domestically, having learnt from past experiences, the government of the Republic of Indonesia has allocated a large amount of money for the Papuan province, in particular for the education sector. This means that more Papuans are now encouraged to seek knowledge for the progress of their province. Also under this regional autonomy scheme, through coordination with the Central government, the Papua province's regional administration allocates money to fully support their putra daerah (the indigenous people, from any walks of life) who are considered promising, so that they may contribute to their home province.

Learning from what has happened with East Timor, it is worth pondering that Papuans are an integral part of Indonesia. In this case, we, most effectively the Papuans themselves, have to show the world that Papuans are still firmly united with Indonesia. Furthermore, witnessing the disintegration in some parts of the world, we should see that the national unity of Indonesia is more important than anything.

There are always, as residues of the past, those who are narrow-mindedly ""disappointed"" because of the so-called unfair sharing of the cake of the province's riches. They are the most vulnerable to unseen provocation, domestically or abroad. But being optimistic, this does not mean that the situation cannot be resolved, no matter how long it might take. This might also serve as a lesson and reflection for all of us to look ahead, move ahead, and let bygones be bygones.

PRIADJI SOELAIMAN
Hamburg, Germany

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