Dozens of young people of the Papuan Indonesian Students Movement (Gemapi) on Saturday cleaned up and repainted the Pepera Monument, a landmark in the heart of Jayapura city, to commemorate the accession of Papua to Indonesia almost five decades ago.

“They are cleaning up the Pepera Monument as a sign that young people still remember what the Papuan people chose on May 1, 1969: to join with the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” Gemapi Papua chairman Habel Sawaki said on Saturday.

On May 1, 1969, Papuan people exercised their right to self-determination through what is called an “act of free choice” (Pepera), during which they decided to join Indonesia.

Habel said many Papuan youths no longer cared about Pepera, even though it had been a key event in the history of Papua they should learn about. “Like it or not, we have a history of Pepera, which we cannot forget about, and young generations should not act unconcerned about this history,” he said.

Heemskercke Bonay, a daughter of Elieze Yan Bonay, one of the key figures behind the joining of Papua with Indonesia, said she was saddened by the fact that many youths in Papua did not understand or even care about the history of Pepera.

Heems said she wished President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo would elevate the status of the event.

“May 1 should be commemorated as National Unity Day and declared a national holiday, so that young people and future generations can still know the history of Pepera,” she said. (ebf)

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