The Indonesian government is considering splitting the province currently known as Papua into five new provinces, in what is seen by many to be another weapon in its fight against Papua's separatist movement.

In 2003, then Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri tried to split the province into three – a move ruled unconstitutional by the Indonesian courts. This time the Indonesian government, aided by Papua's current governor, looks determined to carve up the province by 2009. Governor Salossa says the aim is to more fairly distribute the wealth from Papua's resources and ensure prosperity to all Papuan's. But there are many who see another agenda behind the plan.

Presenter/Interviewer: Mike Woods

Speakers: Dr Richard Chauvel from Melbourne's Victoria University; John Otto Ondawame, senior member of the Free Papua Movement

Woods: The Governor says the idea has been greeted with enthusiasm by President Susilo Bambang Yuhoyono and it's now simply a matter of drafting legislation for the formation of the new provinces. But critics say it may not be that simple. Papua specialist, Doctor Richard Chauvel, from Melbourne's Victoria University says he's curious as to how the provinces would be governed under such a plan.

Chauvel: How the Governor intends to integrate within the division into five, the key elements of the special autonomy law and particularly the Papuan People's Assembly, that to me is entirely unclear, you know, are we talking about one assembly for the whole territory of Papua are we talking about one assembly for each of the provinces? Nothing that I've heard so far, clarifies that.

Woods: John Otto Ondawame is a senior member of the Free Papua Movement or OPM – and heads up it's representative office in Vanuatu he says he is fearful of what may happen to Papua's special autonomy laws if the province is broken up

Ondowame: The special autonomy is only valid for one province – namely Papua province, not five provinces and I don't know if that means that Indonesia will introduce new legislation underming the implimentation of special autonomy.

Woods: Dr Richard Chauvel says the unconstitutional nature of President Megawati's attempt to divide Papua into three provinces was related to how she intended to do so rather than questioning the powers of the central government to divide them. But he says the courts decision was confusing. While the court ruled that the way in which Megawati wanted to split the province was unconstitutional – it also found that the formation of West Irian Jaya had been formed in line with constitutional requirements, including the election of local representatives – and should therefore remain a separate province. Doctor Chauvel says there is little doubt that should Papua be split into a number fo small provinces, the Papuan independence movement will find it difficult to maintain momentum:

Chauvel: Megawati's proposed division into three was clearly a threat to Papuan solidarity and Papuan unity vis-a-vie Jakarta, so to divide it up into five or seven is going to make the maintenence of that unity more of a test for Papuan nationalists.

Woods: John Otto Ondawame says he has no doubt that this is another attempt by an Indonesian government to smash the Papuan people's desire for independence:

Ondawame: It's become clear that the majority of Papuans – 98 percent rejected the division of Papua into three provinces, this is not in line with the policy of special autonomy that was given by Jakarta this is nonsense.

Woods: Governor Salossa has held out a carrot to the Papuan people in what some say is an attempt to soften the blow of carving up the prince. The Governor says establishment of the five provinces would prompt the government to fully implement legislation for the territory – including establishment of the Papuan people's assembly as the highest law-making body in Papua. But Dr Richard Chauvel says Papuan's could see the flaws of plans to split the province when first mooted by Megawati Sukarnoputri:

Chauvel: The Papuan fear was that if you do divide into three, now five, that is inevitably going to mean that many of the most senior positions within that administrations are not going to be filled by Papuans but by Indonesians from elsewhere within the archipelago, and hence pose an even greater threat to Papuans efforts to control their own fate and to establish some sense of self government which was the real intent of the special autonomy law of 2001.

Woods: John Ondawame says he despairs for the future of the Free Papua Movement and for ordinary Papuans. He says the geographical break up of Papua and the restriction on travel that will come with it will make the OPM's job hard, but will also mean families will suffer:

Ondawame: They have to report to te local authorities where they are coming from and how long they are going to stay and so on. So when they divide Papua into five provinces their freedom of movement will be restricted.

Woods: Regional elections are due to be held in Papua in June – and the five-province issue is expected to dominate the poll. Dr Richard Chavel says he believes the election will be beset by confusion and uncertainty – among both candidates and constituents.

Chauvel: Papuans are going to be electing a group of reprsentatives whose tenure is going to be remarkably short. So I think that rather than be an element in terms of facilitating the movement toward the division into five provincers, it could become something of an obstacle and we simply don't know at this stage what attitude those elected representatives are going to have toward the proposal to divide into five.