Sejarah Papua Barat
PAPUA: Righting an old Wrong
By SMH 19-20 November 2005 - Editorial
Nov 19, 2005, 17:47

SMH 19-20 November 2005 - Editorial

There is always merit in setting the record straight, no matter how much time has passed. For the Indonesian province of Papua it has been a long and bloody 36-year wait. The Papuans have refused to accept the "Act of Free Choice" by which they supposedly voted to join Indonesia in 1969. A report commissioned by the Dutch Government, the former colonial ruler in Indonesia, unequivocally vindicates their stance. The resource-rich territory of Papua was not included when the Dutch handed over their colonial territories to a new Indonesian nation after World War II. Instead, the Papuans - who share no religious or cultural ties with majority Muslim Indonesia - were promised a popular ballot on independence. But a mere 1000 or so Papuans participated in a "sham" rigged vote orchestrated by Jakarta, the report says. The result has been a protracted, debilitating independence struggle, pitting a vicious Indonesian army against ill-equipped Papuan tribes.

What to do with this truth is a difficult question. Historical wrongs can be righted. Scores of independent nations have emerged from colonial domination, among them East Timor, first a Portuguese colony and then occupied by Indonesia for a quarter of a century. East Timor's independence vote in 1999 buoyed hopes in Papua, especially as international support for the East Timorese was fuelled by the brutality of the Indonesian occupation and the UN's rejection of Indonesian sovereignty. Indonesian troops are guilty of similar abuses in Papua and, as the report confirms, Indonesian sovereignty is questionable. However, there is no realistic prospect of a new Papuan nation.

The most compelling argument against an independent Papua is the failing state next door, Papua New Guinea. Papua, like PNG, is a society of deep divisions running along tribal, clan and regional lines. And like PNG, there is no natural sense of nation upon which to build. The Pacific is already dotted with tiny struggling young nations, some unable to maintain even the basic institutions of a viable state. Papua, like PNG, has considerable resources. But natural wealth has not insulated PNG from increasing violence and poverty. That does not mean the status quo should be tolerated. Jakarta must be reminded that there is much to answer for. Papuans have repeatedly been promised far-reaching autonomy and an end to military repression. Indonesia is now a democracy which can atone for past wrongs. The recent peace agreement for Aceh demonstrates what can be achieved. The Papuans should not be kept waiting any longer.

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