President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s appeal for calm has fallen on deaf ears in the provinces of Papua and West Papua, with violence and rallies, which flared up on Monday, continuing in several cities in the region on Tuesday — and predicted to continue to boil over if no action is taken to address persecution and racism against Papuans.

The President’s perceived lackluster response to the racial abuse incident in Surabaya, East Java—in which Papuan students were called “monkeys” by security staff and members of mass organizations during a fracas — is believed to have prolonged the crisis.

“The Surabaya conflict served as a catalyst for the riots in Papua. If the conflict remains unresolved, a scorching ball of rage will keep rolling in Papua,” said Aloysius Renwarin, a human rights lawyer in Jayapura.

He went on to say that the President’s call for mutual forgiveness among those embroiled in the conflict was disappointing. “Papuans shouldn’t be obligated to apologize to anyone; we’re the ones being attacked,” he said.

On Monday evening, Jokowi gave a short statement calling on Papuans to forgive their fellow citizens, without condemning the Surabaya incident that triggered the protests across Papua.

The President also declined to respond to questions whether there would be an investigation into the incident.

His statement seemed to do little to appease Papuans, with thousands of residents continuing their protests over racism in the cities of Sorong and Merauke.

A religious figure from Sorong, Lukas Sasior, told The Jakarta Post that thousands of residents had staged a rally in front of the City Hall on Tuesday.

“Today’s rally is bigger than yesterday’s. Gunshots are everywhere,” he said.

Protesters were seen blocking roads and burning tires, disrupting many business activities in the city, news agency Antara reported.

The riot in Sorong also led to a jailbreak that saw at least 258 of 547 inmates escape from the city’s prison.

Another religious figure from Merauke, Amos, confirmed there was another rally in the city. “We demand that [the government and other Indonesian citizens] accept Papuans as part of the country, so that we can peacefully live together in diversity,” he said.

Aloysius said people in his network had informed him on Tuesday about protests in South Sorong and Fakfak in West Papua and Biak in Papua.

A picture he received on Tuesday shows dozens of people holding up a banner in front of a building reading: “Aidoram. Kankain Karkara Byak. Biak Papua” (We’re Papuans, not monkeys), while another person, wearing a monkey costume, held up a sign reading: “I’m a monkey. I don’t understand the law”.

The Jokowi administration seemed to place more importance on addressing the rioting in Manokwari, with Presidential Office staffer Jaleswari Pramodhawardani saying the President had instructed National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian to “take fair action against the rioters according to prevailing laws”.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto also seemed to dismiss the incident in Surabaya, calling on Papuans to “be patient”.

“Forgive each other, keep calm, keep the peace, maintain unity. That’s it,” he told reporters at the vice president’s office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

When asked whether there would be further action against those who racially abused Papuan students, he responded: “What do you mean racist? That is over, we should forgive everyone.”

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) researcher Cahyo Pamungkas, who is part of LIPI’s Papua Studies team, said the government’s response was sorely lacking in substance.

“The verbal violence perpetrated against Papuan students is not a small matter, and if the government does not address it, the problem will only continue to grow,” he told the Post.

He said the first thing the government should do is conduct a thorough investigation of the incidents in Surabaya, with a particular focus on the police officers and soldiers alleged to have taken part in the racial abuse.

“This is a short-term solution that would help to heal at least part of Papuans’ hurt feelings,” he said. “In the long term, President Jokowi must hold a serious dialog and reconciliation with Papuans to make them feel like they are citizens with equal rights. The government should also open dialog with Papuans seeking independence, as it did with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).”

Frederika Korain of the Papua Legal and Human Rights Aid Institute (GABAH) concurred, saying, “The response shows that President Jokowi is not capable of solving human rights violations perpetrated against Papuans, especially by security forces.”

Jokowi has long been considered close to Papua, having visited Papua more times than any previous president and receiving a deluge of support from the region in both the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections.

Both Cahyo and Frederika said that that support had dwindled, however, in the wake of disappointment not only at the President’s response to the latest incident but also at how he handled human rights and economic issues in the region during his first term.

“Papuans still feel they are not really included in discussions about development, even under the Jokowi administration,” Cahyo said. “While Jokowi may have succeeded in building more infrastructure, if native Papuans are not empowered, then the roads, ports and airports will only really advantage non-Papuan migrants.”

Frederika agreed, adding that mere physical development would not solve the problems faced in the region.

“Building bridges and roads alone will do nothing to resolve the complex issues if the President does not hold a real dialog to understand the needs and worries of Papuans,” she said.

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