T

he Papua People’s Assembly (MRP) membership election will go ahead on schedule despite a joint statement by heads of church synods to postpone it.

The heads of the church synods demanded earlier the election be delayed until President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was willing to hold talks with Papuans on special autonomy, which they deem has failed.

A number of regencies in Papua and West Papua have completed their initial round of elections to select members of the MRP as cultural and women’s representatives. The second election phase at the regional level will continue until Jan. 22.

“Regencies that have carried out the first round of elections to select MRP representatives are Paniai, Deyai, Dogiyai, Asmat, Mappi and Boven Digoel regencies in Papua, and Kaimana, Fakfak, Maibrat, Sotuh Sorong and Tambrauw in West Papua, after which the regional level election will be held,” head of the Unity Nation Community and Political Protection Institute Didi Agus told reporters in Jayapura on Tuesday.

Didi said the MRP membership election consists of two stages, the first at the regency level, in which elected members will run in the second round at the regional level organized by the election committee.

The 40 regencies in West Papua and Papua are divided into 15 traditional regions, the outcome of each is to determine an MRP member.

MRP religious representatives will be recommended by religious leaders with native Papuan followers and be submitted to the regional election committee for appointment.

“Based on standard mechanisms, the election process is simple and brief because everything goes through a deliberation process, failing which voting will take place,” said Didi. “Those who vote for MRP representatives are from traditional communities entitled to customary rights. It would be easy to appoint them because each traditional community has its customary structure despite not being documented, but the structure has been maintained and practiced in the everyday lives of traditional communities,” he added.

In response to the joint statement from church synods, which had called to postpone the election, Didi said it was an ordinary matter in the era of democracy.

“According to governor [Barnabas Suebu], the statement and opposition from community groups is a part of aspiration and is normal in the democracy era, but the election process must go on,” he said.

Separately, head of the service division of the Papua Baptist Church Association Reverend Socrates Sofyan Yoman said in a press release obtained by The Jakarta Post that the formation of the second version of MRP was only done to cover the failure of special autonomy in Papua, a state crime against native Papuans in the international community’s eyes, because the international community supported Papua as part of Indonesia because of its special autonomy status.

The establishment of the MRP’s second version, according to Socrates, was engineered and dominated by security and political interests, not in the interest of native Papuans. He said that it would be more honorable and wise if the Indonesian government was willing to respond to the 11 recommendations reached at the MRP congress and pay attention to the interest of indigenous Papuans, rather than impose its will for the sake of its political and security interests.