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Papua requires Jokowi’s sense of urgency
Papua is in limbo. A racialist incident has triggered continued chaos in recent weeks. Main cities in Indonesia’s easternmost regions, such as Jayapura and Manokwari, have seen riots and fires. Unfortunately, responses from the government and more specifically President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo have been far from conveying a sense of urgency.
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Among his responses, the media quoted: “It is okay to be emotional, but it is better to be forgiving. Patience is also better.” At a glance this statement seemed meaningful. Yet there was no clear expression of empathy for the Papuans who were deeply insulted by the racial slurs. (Courtesy of Presidential Secretariat/Kris)
P
apua is in limbo. A racialist incident has triggered continued chaos in recent weeks. Main cities in Indonesia’s easternmost regions, such as Jayapura and Manokwari, have seen riots and fires. At least one soldier and nine civilians died in the riots, reports say.
Yet another severe threat is the rising call for an independent Papua. The protests that turned violent in several places were accompanied by the waving of the Bintang Kejora (Morning Star), the flag expressing the independence aspirations of Papua.
Unfortunately, responses from the government and more specifically President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo have been far from conveying a sense of urgency. Racist remarks against Papuan students who were rallying on Aug. 16 in Surabaya, East Java, followed by more protests, were not immediately followed by rapid response or strategic instructions from the President.
These late responses only show the low sense of urgency from the top commander who had been reelected for his second five-year term. From the dates of the first incident to the issuance of strategic, urgent instructions regarding Papua, he had actually raised other issues, such as the shifting of Indonesia’s capital to East Kalimantan, maybe to distract us.
Yet the issue of the capital’s relocation only led to further controversy as the President had yet to consult the House of Representatives and neither does he have a legal basis for the plan.
In other words, Jokowi seems to take the Papua issue lightly. As a result, the sociopolitical situation in the region is descending very fast, opening the door wider for the biggest taboo in the unitary republic: Papua’s independence. This was just as Indonesians celebrated 74 years of independence from Dutch colonial rule.
The latest trigger of the riots started on Aug. 16 when there were groups of people shouting in front of the Papuan students’ dormitory in Surabaya, reportedly protesting the alleged refusal by students to celebrate the country’s independence. Eventually racial slurs were heard; unsurprisingly riots broke out very quickly after the incident, which also reportedly involved physical attacks against the students by security personnel.
