Jayapura (UCAN) – Religious leaders in Papua have discussed violations of a six-year-old autonomy law for their province and sent recommendations to various levels of government to rectify the situation.
The worries of nearly 50 Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim and Protestant representatives were articulated during a workshop on Developing Dialogues to Create A Peaceful Papua, held Dec. 3-7 in Sentani, capital of Jayapura district, 3,770 kilometers east of Jakarta.
After discussing violations of the law that gave Indonesia's easternmost province a degree of autonomy, the religious representatives prepared their recommendations for local and central government authorities.
Catholic Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar of Jayapura, a participant, read aloud the concerns and recommendations at the workshop's close. The text presented by the Franciscan prelate says: "We religious leaders in Papua have attentively watched developments in our society, particularly the social and political dynamics. As part of society, we have seen several practices that violate articles of Law Number 21/2001 on Special Autonomy for Papua province."
The law, ratified by then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri on Nov. 21, 2001, has 24 chapters and 79 articles that stipulates safeguard and empower native Papuans in the civil, cultural, political and social spheres. It also puts a focus on redressing inequality and injustice in the province.
According to the religious leaders, the law has been violated in development programs and land rights, and by the police. They said development programs in the province have split local ethnic groups and marginalized Papuan workers.
By dividing districts into territories, Bishop Ladjar explained, development efforts have reduced the people's share of ulayat (communal land) and this has triggered quarrels among local people.
The participants also charged that possession of ulayat rights has also been given to non-Papuans. For instance, they said, several district heads have allowed companies run by non-Papuans to use communal land for plantations.
The religious leaders stressed that, according to Article 76 of the law, development work should be based on socio-cultural unity, the availability of human resources and the local economic situation, and that Article 43 obliges the government to recognize, respect, protect, promote and improve Papuan people's land rights, including ulayat rights.
They also said Papuans are uncomfortable with so many police stations and non-Papuan policemen in their midst. According to one Protestant pastor at the workshop, non-Papuans account for 70 percent of the police in Papua.
Participants said Papuans complain that the police do not understand their culture and cited Article 49, which says the national police chief who assigns non-Papuan police must take account of local culture, customs and laws.
The religious leaders concluded that local and central governments, legislative members and the Papuan Assembly (MRP, Indonesian acronym) have improperly implemented the law on special autonomy. MRP is a cultural body empowered to protect Papuan people's culture, customs and religion.
The recommendations of the religious leaders were sent on Dec. 10 to local and central governments, local and central legislative councils, and MRP. They demand a halt to development programs at town, district and provincial levels and insist that MRP must consider local culture properly before undertaking development programs.
The workshop participants also called on governments, legislative members and MRP to draft and then ratify a special regional regulation on the assignment of police, especially the commando force, and to reduce the number of police personnel and police stations in the province.
The religious leaders insisted that Papuans be assured a proper livelihood on their own land and be the "subject" of all development programs.