Biak Traditional Council under threat as BIN and Kopassus move to set up an alternative traditional council.
On 7 April, three Indonesian agencies, BIN (State Intelligence Agency), Korem (Regional Military Command) and Kopassus (elite military command) brought together several traditional groups in East Bi ak to explain their intention to set up an East Biak Traditional Council. Those who were invited were provided with special transport, a blue vehicle with Oklahama registration no DS 7081 C, which took them to meet BIN, Korem and Kopassus Post VIII in Karang Mulia Biak District, Papua.
During the meeting, several documents were circulated, including:
- A fax from the Minister of the Interior dated 2 February 2010 regarding Interior Department Regulation No 3, 1997 on the Empowerment, Lasting Values and Institutions of Traditional Communities in the Regions.
- Decision adopted by the Governor/Head of Irian Jaya No 77, 1998 on the Establishment of a Traditional Community and Appointment of a Guidance Council for the Traditional Communities of Irian Jaya Province, for 1998-2002.
The meeting commenced at 10am and ended at 1pm and was held at Kopassus Post 08, Jalan Raya Bosnik Karang Mulia, Biak Papua.
Following the meeting, several members of the Biak Traditional Council endeavoured to find out more about the agenda of the meeting but this proved impossible because BIN and Kopassus had held the meeting in private and closed to the public.
At 1pm, as five persons who had been invited to the meeting were leaving the location and intending to return home, a member of the traditional council was able to take a photo of one of the invited persons who had got hold of the documents mentioned above. Several of those who participated in the meeting have been identified by their initials: DR, BY, MT, YR, and YU.
All well-meaning East Biaki people, the Suprimanggun people, are warned against these activities which are intended to undermine the State and our future generations. There will be further investigations in to those involved in the aforesaid meeting, the results of which will be made public.
A meeting is scheduled to be held on 22 April 2010 to facilitate a gathering of 32 kampungs in East Biak and Oridek at which the establishment of a traditional people's council in East Biak will be announced.
Responding to the moves to set up such a traditional council, a lawyer named Metuzalak Awom said that in his opinion the people who organised such a meeting have lost their sense of dignity and identity. A Biak Traditional Council which represents the Biaki people already exists. Why are they seeking to set up a new traditional council?
The people who took this initiative were from BIN and Kopassus, coming from outside the region, newcomers, not Biaki people. They lack any understanding of the local culture and their aim is to incite conflict within the community. This is an act of discrimination against the Biaki people and we therefore call upon all official bodies, NGOs, religious leaders, traditional leaders, women's leaders and people from the universities who wish to uphold democracy and humnitarianism to serve the interests of the people in this region and not to play any role in setting up an alternative traditional council which can only trigger conflict.
Awom also stressed that the 1997 Interior Department regulation should be correctly interpreted. Properly understood, the ministerial emphasis was on 'empowerment', 'engagement' and 'development', not on setting anything up. According to Biaki community tradition, the aim is to create the space and regulations for the communities to strengthen themselves, both with regard to personal capacity and community management, in order to be able to play their role in empowerment, engagement and development.
According to the role of the traditional councils as stipulated in the Special Autonomy Law for the Province of Papua, they should be facilitated to make their own contribution. As things stand at present, women are the only ones who have been able to play an effective role while the religious and traditional communities have only drafted proposals which in most cases have not met with any response.
So what then can be the aim of setting up this alternative traditional council? The rights of the traditional communities are already clear so why does anyone want to set up an alternative?
[Slightly abridged in translation by Tapol.]