Australia should support human rights

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 05/12/2006 11:54 AM  |  Opinion

Luke Lazarus Arnold, Sydney

While the issue of West Papua is putting Australia's bilateral relationship with Indonesia under strain, the issue is also resulting in strange bedfellows. In Australia, the socialist left and the evangelical right both appear increasingly supportive of the separatist movement in the troubled region. While it would be heartless to ignore the human rights abuses committed against the people concerned, it is mindless of these groups to translate this concern into a push for their independence.

Integration into Indonesia is a double-edged sword for most West Papuans. On one hand, large portions of their natural resources are sucked to Jakarta and human rights abuses continue to occur at the hands of unruly police and military officials. Through the Transmigration Policy, indigenous Papuan culture faces threats from outsiders -- many of whom arrive with prejudices toward their poorer countrymen in West Papua.

On the other hand, however, integration into Indonesia also offers West Papuans the opportunity to access affordable primary and secondary education, and for a growing number to attend universities in learning centers like Yogyakarta and Salatiga. Upon graduation, these people can then participate in an Indonesia-wide labor market, which offers far more opportunities to earn income and build an experience base than would be available in an independent West Papua.

Would-be supporters of West Papuan independence need to think about what an independent West Papua would be able to offer its people. In doing so, they should bear in mind that there is little binding the separatists other than a shared dislike for the Javanese and other non-Melanesian Indonesians.

The West Papuans are not a separate ethnic group but dozens of disparate tribes -- the independence activists, for example, speak to each other in Indonesian. In a post-modern society like Australia, this lack of binding ties need not necessarily become a problem. In a deeply traditional society like West Papua, however, this lack of a shared history, culture, and language would lead to an independent West Papua becoming riddled with tribalism and inter-ethnic conflict.

The trouble in West Papua is rooted in the fact that the area enjoys an abundance of natural resources while suffering from an acute shortage of human resources. Supporting independence therefore takes the focus away from what the people of West Papua most urgently need: skills.

As experience from all over the world shows us -- although one need not look past neighboring Papua New Guinea -- converting natural resources to jobs in a country short of human resources is usually an exercise in futility. When compounded with increasing tribalism, the unemployment rate would contribute to a complete disintegration of law and order.

A further disintegration of social order in a place like West Papua could lead to even more illegal logging, unauthorized mining and perhaps even a civil war-like situation. For Australia, this spiral toward a failed state could spell a hive for drug traffickers and money launderers on our doorstep.

It would also mean an aid-dependent neighbor, with our aid money being spent on building a nation from scratch rather than equipping its would-be citizens with the means to participate in a modern economy. It does not look like a pretty picture, and even less so when weighed against the inevitable bloodshed that would be required to achieve it.

Does this all mean that, as Australians, we should simply ignore the plight of the West Papuans? Of course not. Falling prey to the false dichotomy of supporting independence or not caring at all does not help anyone. There are many things we can do for the people of West Papua. As individuals we can donate to the various organizations working to improve the health and education of West Papuans. We can even volunteer in the area, support the nascent eco-tourism industry or get involved in fair-mining campaigns.

Similarly, there is much the Australian Government can do to support human rights in West Papua without supporting the independence movement. More aid can be channeled to the province, particularly for the development of the ""soft"" infrastructure the province is so seriously lacking, such as improvements to the legal system, education and vocational training.

Australia can also assist with the implementation of the Special Autonomy package that has been offered to West Papua. As a country with a relatively successful record of distributing power between national and sub-national governments, Australia has the experience to back up such assistance.

If we put our minds to it, there are sure to be countless ways we can support human rights in West Papua. The ideas will only start to flow, however, when we put look beyond the simplistically romantic notion of independence and begin to consider what is really in the best interests of the West Papuans.

The writer worked as a Consultant to the United Nations in Indonesia and East Timor, 2003-2006. The views expressed here are his own.

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