Jakarta – A flood of settlers who dominate the economy, Islamization and human rights abuses by the military are at the root of growing separatist sentiments in Indonesia's province of Irian Jaya, a researcher said.
Jakarta must restore the rights of Papuans to their own livelihood, culture and religion, and change its brutal ways in dealing with separatism if it wants to see the province remain part of Indonesia, said Karel Phil Erari of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI).
"Let's sit together and talk to find a peaceful solution, in which the people's rights are accommodated," Erari, who heads PGI's department of research and development, told AFP.
Erari, himself from Irian Jaya, otherwise called West Papua, said Papuans resented Jakarta's policy of moving hundreds of thousands of people from densely-populated Java island to the remote, predominantly Melanesian Christian province.
He said the people feared that their culture would face extinction. "They want their culture to be respected. They want their Melanesian identity to be an inherent part of their lives," he said.
He charged that the central government had forced "Javanization" in Irian Jaya by inundating the region with migrants. "Javanese elements have now become very dominant," he said.
Jakarta is also trying to "Islamize" the predominantly Christian province by building more mosques and less churches. "There's a widespread impression that Muslims' interests are prioritized. It is easy to build mosques but people have a difficult time raising funds to build a church," he said.
Erari said the government must also stop militaristic approaches to quash separatist aspirations and introduce new economic policies through regional autonomy. "The people must be assured that they will not be killed if they speak up for their rights."
Hundreds of pro-independence Papua taskforce members went on a rampage in the hinterland town of Wamena on October 6 after police forcibly removed several separatist "Morning Star" flags and shot dead Papuans protesting their actions.
Hospital staff in Wamena said six Papuans and 24 non-native settlers were killed in the day-long violence. "The more people the military kills, the more stronger their calls for independence," he said.
Former human rights minister Hasballah Saad said Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who has been charged by President Abdurrahman Wahid to deal with problems in eastern Indonesia, could play a "significant role" to help solve the problems in Irian Jaya.
Saad said Megawati's party, which won last year's elections, has a widespread following in eastern Indonesia. "She has strong willingness to solve the problems but she needs teamwork and that is what she's lacking," he told a discussion here on Wednesday.
Erari said the US-based gold and mining company, Freeport McMoRan, which is operating the world's biggest gold and copper mine in Irian Jaya, should raise its contribution to developing the easternmost Indonesian region.
"They are now allocating one percent from their total [annual revenue] ... but I believe some of it goes to a third party," he said without elaborating. Freeport said the annual average contribution stood at 1.5 million dollars.
A long-simmering struggle for independence in the province has been fed by military brutality and Jakarta's perceived exploitation of Irian Jaya's huge oil, gas, timber and mineral resources.
The movement has gained momentum following East Timor's split from Indonesia last year, and peaked with a popular congress in June at which participants demanded that Jakarta recognise a declaration of Papuan independence 39 years ago. That declaration will be commemorated on December 1.
Independence leaders maintain that a UN-sponsored 'Act of Free Choice' vote in 1969, which sanctioned Indonesian sovereignty over the former Dutch territory, was flawed and unrepresentative. Jakarta has flatly refused to consider granting independence, but has promised broad autonomy by May 1, 2001.