No possibilty of South Papua province for two years

Nethy Dharma Somba , The Jakarta Post , Jayapura | Tue, 04/08/2008 11:52 AM | The Archipelago

Activists in Merauke, Papua, who support the creation of an autonomous South Papua province put up signboards Saturday at the governor's office, legislative council building and the General Elections Commission office as part of their ongoing campaign.

"Yes, hundreds of people from various elements have put up the new signboards as a mark of establishing a South Papua province and informing people they are resolute in its formation," head of the Indonesian National Youth Committee's (KNPI) Merauke chapter, Dominikus Gebze, told The Jakarta Post by phone Monday.

He said the people acted according to the correct procedures for separation, including submitting their petition to the Papua legislature, the Papua People's Council (MPR) and the governor, despite the absence of a recommendation from the governor and the MRP.

The signboards incident took place in conjunction with a visit by the first deputy of politics and home affairs, Maj. Gen. Udy Rusdilie, to Merauke.

MRP chairman Agus Alue Alua viewed the incident as an example of the people's aspiration, but maintained separation was contrary to Law No. 21/2001 and the President and Vice President's policies on autonomy, stipulated in Presidential Regulation No. 78/2008 on the evaluation of new autonomous provinces.

"It's a petition and they are pleased to present it, but the people should be aware their aspiration is contradicted by the two laws," Alua told the Post in Jayapura on Monday.

He said according to Presidential Regulation No. 78/2008, separation from regencies and provinces was prohibited, but that evaluations could be carried out on new autonomous areas.

"So, there won't be any separations in the next two years, including the separation of South Papua province."

He said based on the mechanisms of Law No. 21/2001, the governor had the right to propose any autonomous region in Papua to the legislature, which would then deliberate it through a plenary session before handing it over to the MRP for recommendation.

Alua said while he had met with the South Papua campaign team, the MRP had not conducted cultural studies on the issue because the governor had not yet made a proposal.

"The MRP will begin conducting the studies upon the proposal for the governor, whether or not it is proper for the region to develop into a province," he said.

Papua legislative council vice speaker Komaruddin Watubun said "the legislature has yet to discuss the issue, although people have come to convey their aspiration. It's OK to state your aspiration, but the legislature has never issued any decision on the establishment of a South Papua province."

Comments (0) | Post comment

A | A | A |