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Jakarta Post

Papua issues go beyond autonomy funds

Ahmad Suaedy (The Jakarta Post)
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Jakarta
Fri, March 8, 2019

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Papua issues go beyond autonomy funds Hundreds of people march in Surabaya on Saturday under the banner of the Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) to commemorate Dec. 1, the day they consider the West Papua Liberation Day. (JP/Sigit Pamungkas)

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discussion took place recently on Papua in relation to the 2019 presidential election. Millennials from various professional backgrounds were among attendees, along with junior and senior activists. One session was reserved especially for perspectives of the young.

The forum, held by the Tifa Foundation, Amnesty International Indonesia and the Jayapura-based Jubi Association in Jakarta aimed to respond to the lack of discourse on Papua ahead of the presidential election, even as the first presidential debate included the theme of human rights.

Social media mapping presented by change.org, an independent petition website, at the talks on Feb.14, showed that Indonesian millennials had paid substantial attention to issues related to Papua. Even though mainstream media contains little coverage on Papua, given limited access to Papua and West Papua provinces, millennials across Indonesia made it clear through social media that peace and prosperity should exist in Papua and that violence should be reduced or eliminated.

Since the enactment of Law No. 21/2001 on Papua special autonomy, special autonomy funds and other affirmative funds have been disbursed to Papua and West Papua. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s ambitious infrastructure plan aims to penetrate isolated areas in the provinces, to alleviate the chronic problem of a discrepancy in fuel prices and logistics supply.

However, this suggests that the problem of Papua and West Papua is limited to funding special autonomy and infrastructure. Implementation of the law was not comprehensive and tended to be selective and manipulative, even broadening Papuans’ discontent, which it had aimed to address.

Restrictions on freedom of opinion and assembly, as well as coverage of mainly foreign media, in addition to the approaches of security and violence, perpetuate stigmatization and discrimination, resulting in widespread resistance. Resistance and aspirations of independence are increasing through the establishment of networks abroad.

There are three important factors in the context of Papua and West Papua that must be of concern to the government, namely the magnitude of migration from outside Papua, the increasing number of educated people and widening middle-income bracket, as well as the diaspora of highly young educated Papuans in other areas in Indonesia and in various countries.

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