Jakarta – Indonesia has decided to go ahead with its decision to divide the easternmost Papua province into three smaller provinces in the face of objections from local officials and religious leaders who have warned the move may spark unrest.
Justifying the move as necessary to speed up development programmes, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on Thursday: "It seems almost impossible at present to manage the large island with 28 regencies under one province."
Papua, with a population of 2.4 million, is 3 1/2 times bigger than Java, which is divided into four provinces, including Jakarta. The large region is home to a giant copper and gold mine in Timika, a liquefied gas mine in Tangguh, Manokwari, and several oil fields. But 60 per cent of its population is still uneducated and follows a life of basic survival in remote areas.
Mr Hari insisted that Papua has already been legally divided into three provinces since 1999, when the law was endorsed during former president B.J. Habibie's term.
"Even acting governors for the two new provinces have already been appointed, but the enforcement of the law was delayed because of the presidential succession from Habibie to his successor Abdurrahman Wahid," he said.
The minister added he has delivered an official letter to Papua Governor Jaap Salossa and all regents in the province to inform them about the government's decision.
In Manokwari, officials and informal leaders took part in a ceremony to officiate the province of West Irian Jaya with Brig-Gen Oktavianus Atururi as acting governor.
The move sparked strong protests from both Papuan authorities and religious leaders, who said it contravened a law that guaranteed special autonomy to Papua.
This law states that the formation of new provinces should gain approval from the Papuan consultative assembly, which has yet to be established.
Five religious leaders in Papua issued a joint statement opposing the decision, saying it could cause unrest among the people and the local political elite.
Governor Jaap Salossa said the time was not right to develop Papua into three provinces because they were short of people to run the provinces. The military has supported the formation of the two new provinces in order to weaken the separatist Free Papua Movement.