T

his is a comment on the President'€™s intention to attend Christmas celebrations in Papua.

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo should have the decency not to force his attendance at the celebration of Christmas by Christian churches in Papua.

They have made it clear that many Papuans '€” 90 percent of whom voted for him in the last elections '€” no longer welcome him, and for very good reason.

By ignoring the killing of five unarmed civilians and the wounding of 21 more in Paniai by security personal 10 days ago, the President has demonstrated that he doesn'€™t give a damn for Papuan lives. He flunked his chance to prove that Jakarta really regards Papuans as Indonesians and human beings.

But no, with President Jokowi, it'€™s business as usual. Like his predecessors, he will not initiate any serious investigation into security apparatus brutality.

It is unsurprising, then, that he has already given clear signs that under his presidency, the terrible killings of hundreds of thousands of innocent Indonesians 49 years ago will continue to go uninvestigated.

The same is true regarding the murder of Munir (and others, such as Marsinah). The assumption of the '€œJokowi-volunteers'€ that their idol had some special moral credibility has '€” sad to say '€” proved misplaced.

It took the new President less than two months in office to show that he was just another power-politician. Maybe this return to realism could even have its advantages.

Franz Magnis-Suseno
Jakarta