In such case, PON in Papua could be seen as “a new deal for Papua”, as the sporting event has served as a mediating structure that transforms Papua’s “marginalization and alienation” into “recognition”.

Theoretically, the politics of recognition have played an important role in the fight of marginalized and minority groups in Papua who have seen themselves as both unequal and distinct from a dominant majority within the nation state. The recognition could further promote Papua as an “integral” part of Indonesia and instil a sense of pride given Papua’s capacity to hold a successful national sporting event. This recognition was complemented by the host province’s success in finishing fourth among 34 provinces in the medals tally.

PON also provided opportunities to people – athletes, officials, spectators – from outside of Papua to experience Papua and its diverse cultures. The event also allowed outsiders to interact with indigenous Papuans, to understand local people’s characters and therefore debunk the bleak narrative and image about Papua. From the economic perspective, PON stimulated the local economy.

Prior to the 20th PON, efforts to solve Papua’s complexity provided minimum breakthroughs despite massive infrastructure development initiated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. Ironically, the huge infrastructure development and the revision of the Special Autonomy Law were not seen by the majority of Papuans as satisfactory solutions. Demands for fair resolution of past human rights violations, an end to violence, racism and discrimination, revisiting the history of integration, which all leads to the demand for a referendum, remain prominent agendas and could be seen as the manifestation of a struggle to achieve recognition. The essence of such grievances stem from the prolonged notion of Indonesia’s “mistreatment” of Papua.

In connection with the situation, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) conducted research into what young Papuan people say about their identity. I was intrigued to ask my respondents what “Indonesia” meant to them.

A Papuan student at one private university in Yogyakarta, for example, firmly stated that Papua is not Indonesian. Papua is only a territory “within” Indonesia with no emotional bond. She clearly highlighted the differences in race as one reason. Papuans are Melanesian and the rest of the Indonesian people are Malay.

Other Papuan youth “imagined” Indonesia as a colonizer of Papua.

Another source of grievance is the racism that most Papuans, especially those studying in universities outside of Papua, experience almost on a daily basis. A Papuan student admitted to being humiliated by her own lecturer in class when discussing gender. The common narrative of woman’s beauty according to the lecturer was white, slim, long nose, long hair and she was not in that category.

She also found difficulties in finding a boarding house in Yogyakarta because she is Papuan. The public has stigmatized Papuans as criminals, alcoholics and troublemakers.

According to one Papuan youth, racism is a social construct with strong economic and political motivations. It is a means to create a sense of inferiority and discourage self-confidence so the Papuans will not rebel against outside forces exploiting natural resources in the province. Because of racism, the Papuan youth felt afraid to interact with non-Papuans; afraid to take opportunities that were offered. Afraid of being teased, humiliated and downgraded, therefore, most Papuan students avoid interaction with non-Papuans.

The government and the public are viewed as perpetuating “differences” both in terms of appearance and character (Papuans are uncivilized and backward). Political violence is reproduced in and through representations of culture and difference (Kirsch, 2002). A focus group discussion participant was furious when other Indonesians thought she originated from Africa. This shows that Papua is not well “introduced” to the rest of Indonesian society.

One respondent also argued that their fellow Indonesians visualized Papua as “traditionalist” and backward. Papuan youths feel there is always an attempt to “force” Papuans to become Indonesians but there has never been any effort to make Indonesia understand Papua. 

Based on the above explanation, we can identify that there are various issues that seemingly segregate Papuans from Indonesian society, such as exploitation of the politics and culture of differences, stigmatization and discrimination. Even though we have to admit that allowing Papua to host PON by itself would not eliminate the embedded delicate problems in Papua, it could be treated as part of a nation-building project to promote positive progress in the easternmost territory.

Nation building constitutes a process whereby a society or community of people with diverse origins, histories, languages, cultures and religions come together within the boundaries of a sovereign state. Papuan youths should play an important role in this project since they act upon their own initiative in deconstructing Papua’s history and future trajectories. During PON in Papua, President Jokowi initiated the Papuan Youth Creative Hub, which will be operationalized in 2022, as part of the politics of recognition to give youth more of a role to play.

In general, the 20th PON in Papua succeeded in creating a melting pot for integration and interaction of diverse people, including between indigenous Papuans and the migrant population in Papua. Sporting events could be used to eradicate the divisions, stigmatization and injustices with the aim to fostering unity and promoting national consciousness about Indonesia and a commitment to developing the country.

It is time for us to recognize and trust Papua’s capacity. For the indigenous Papuans it is a moment to achieve self-confidence, self-esteem and a belief in their ability to progress. All this falls within the framework of the politics of recognition.

Although PON is over, we must maintain this positive momentum and plan world-class events in Papua. We need to strive for a better Papua and promote justice and equality under the nation-building project.  

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The writer is a senior researcher, Department of Politics and Social Change, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta.