I was also elated for an opportunity to meet with Papuan brothers and sisters during my two-day visit to Jayapura for a discussion on human rights with various stakeholders there.

Human rights is not an easy topic of discussion, especially when the issue of past injustice continues to linger in collective memory in Papua. Yet, this is the very issue Indonesia has been trying to deal with constructively since the start of the Reform Era in the late 1990s.

No country has unblemished human rights records. Then again, the Indonesian government has been seriously addressing some of the basic rights in Papua and West Papua provinces, such as the right to education, access to health and infrastructure. Moreover, as mandated by the Special Autonomy Law, elected officials from among Papuans are authorized to regulate and manage the interests of locals.

Having said that, the government was caught by surprise and has difficulty in grasping the unprecedented scale of recent unrest in some cities in West Papua and Papua, and cities outside Papua. The unrest was triggered by an isolated incident in Surabaya.

Upon learning that the symbol of the nation, the red-and-white flag was desecrated in front of a Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya, some individuals took the law into their own hands. In the process, they mocked their Papuan brothers and sisters with derogatory slurs.

Such behavior is unacceptable and has no place in Indonesia, where pluralism serves as the backbone of our nation. Every single person in Indonesia— regardless of their background, ethnicity and even creed — and in line with Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) as the national motto, must have their dignity respected.

Therefore, we as a nation commend the decision of the National Police to file charges against the perpetrators of such isolated incidents. Similarly, we also applaud the military for taking disciplinary actions against those who within their ranks and files were involved in the incidents.

East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has openly apologized on behalf of East Java people to the students and assured their safety. Local authorities and the community leaders have joined hands to ensure the students can continue to feel at home.

Verbal abuse against any ethnic group or subculture in a pluralistic society such as Indonesia is taboo. When the founding fathers declared Indonesia’s independence — free from the shackles of colonial power — they dismantled all parochial barriers that separate us and promote togetherness.

By consent, we embrace the richness of Indonesia’s diversity within our unity.

To bring together various ethnic groups as one nation despite the centuries-old divide and rule strategy of colonial powers, pitting one ethnic group against another, is an achievement in itself. To borrow from the late scholar Benedict Anderson, Indonesia was a manifestation of imagined communities that was born out of nationalism.

Nationalism will continue to be the key for Indonesia’s survival; then during the struggle for independence and today in the era of global uncertainty. As Indonesia progresses as a nation, boosted by economic growth and other achievements, we should never take for granted the state of our nationalism.

We must remain vigilant against rapid, constant developments that might weaken our sense of nationalism, or perhaps instead strengthen a cult form of nationalism.

At the global level, we have witnessed a new surge of parochialism in expressing nationalism, such as by imposing immigration restrictions and trade protectionism. New-Right populism is also on the rise in some parts of the world.

At the national level, nationalism can also be eroded by ignorance about our history, including the history of Indonesia’s independence and the stark contrast between the status of Papua as part of Indonesia and Timor Leste in the past.

Indonesia’s independence was the combined efforts of armed struggles and diplomacy to win international recognition of Indonesia as a nation state. In a nutshell, the proclamation of independence in 1945 was the exercise of self-determination by the people of Indonesia.

It is a historical fact that the transfer of authorities of Papua by the Netherlands to Indonesia, the successor state of the Netherland East Indies (based on international law doctrine uti possidetis juris), was somewhat delayed.

The United Nations Resolution 2504 in 1969 confirmed that the status of Papua as part of Indonesia — in the aftermath of the Act of Free Choice (Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat or Pepera) — was final. It is irreversible and permanent. Hence, attempts to demand a referendum by a few quarters within and outside Indonesia to challenge the legal status of Papua as part of the unitarian state of Indonesia is obsolete.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi during a hearing on development in Papua lawmakers on Sept. 5 sent a clear message that any demand for a referendum in Papua and West Papua was crossing a red line for Indonesia.

Therefore, and in the wake of such attempts, Indonesians of all walks of life need to unite, because the government cannot do it alone. Back then, we had high spirit and were resolute for winning our independence, and now it is timely for us to rekindle the same spirit.

As a final note, we as one nation have a noble task ahead of us, that is to win the hearts and minds of those among our brothers and sisters in Papua. Let us work together to weave a tapestry of hope for our brothers and sisters in Papua, because we know for sure that Papua is Indonesia.

___________________

Adviser to the foreign minister on political and security affairs and former Indonesian ambassador to Canada.

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