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A government of this day and age should not be imposing a patronizing political culture under which Papuans are not considered citizens who are aware of the political system, who are able to participate in politics.
As riots and protests against racism toward “black” university students in Surabaya raged across the country from August to September, it was difficult to ignore the fact that racism in general has had a comfortable place in Indonesian society. The issue of racism in the country is more deep-rooted than one might think.
The violent unrest and demonstrations that occurred this month in several cities in Papua that have killed dozens and injured hundreds has brought to our attention the Papuans’ feelings of anger and frustration as well as the question of how economic growth in our easternmost province has benefitted Papuans.
As far as Vanuatu is concerned, to continue raising the Papuan issue internationally will lead it nowhere. It is just like barking up the wrong tree, for no country will support Vanuatu, as has been made crystal clear all these years. Hence, getting rid of the Papuan issue from its international agenda is highly recommended to build a more productive cooperation with Indonesia.
Habibie was aware at the time that to retain East Timor would not only be unconstitutional, but would hurt Indonesia’s credibility in a time of economic crisis. Today, Indonesia needs statesmanship to resolve its Papua conundrum.
The recent racial incident should open our eyes to reflect: Have we applied the right approach in Papua? The Papua discourse is not necessarily always related to economic, political, security and human rights violations. There is a saturation point if Papua is always discussed in that perspective.
