Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papuan leaders reacted cautiously on Monday to the bill recently approved by the US House of Representatives, stressing that Papua is legally part of Indonesia but urging the government to renew its commitment to implementing special autonomy status there.
Secretary of the Papuan Tribal Council (DAP) Fadel Al Hamid said the approval of the bill could be seen as assistance for Papuans in solving their current problems.
"With this bill, it's clear now that Papua has become an international issue so the government can't claim that this is a domestic one. The sign is clear," he said.
Therefore, said Fadel, the government needed to come to Papua to show its willingness to do whatever it takes to support the development of Papua, rather than continuing to deploy military personnel there.
"Don't take us for granted. If the government wants to rule on anything concerning Papua, involve us and hear our opinion. Have respect for us, contrary to the government's conduct during the 1969 referendum," he said.
Fadel argued that the referendum had been carried out improperly as representatives had voted on whether or not Papua would remain with Indonesia, rather than the use of a one-man-one-vote mechanism. It is the referendum, or the 1969 Act of Free Choice, which is being questioned by the US House in the bill.
While Indonesia has claimed Papua as part of its territory since its 1945 independence, Papua remained under Dutch control until 1962. That year, Indonesia and the Netherlands signed the New York Agreement, which transferred the administration of Papua first to a United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA), and then to Indonesia in 1963, pending a referendum.
In July and August 1969, Indonesia conducted an Act of Free Choice, in which 1,025 selected Papuan elders voted unanimously to join Indonesia, which the US bill considers to be held in "circumstances that were subject to both overt and covert forms of manipulation".
The bill also mentions successive cases of military and human rights violations as factors that have exacerbated the condition in Papua.
Fadel said during the years after the granting of special autonomy status to Papua in 2001, the local people had not enjoyed any improvement in their lives as the central government had been reluctant to share its powers.
Papua Governor JP Solossa admitted that the US House's wish to review the 1969 referendum had also been voiced by some groups of people in Papua, but he stressed that the US government had said it would not support Papua's separation from Indonesia.
"We can't let this bill affect the security stability in Papua because many Papuans are loyal to Indonesia," he said, adding that the government was committed to the implementation of Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua.
Solossa asserted that it was too early to judge whether or not the implementation of the special autonomy status had failed.
Meanwhile, Trikora Military Commander overseeing Papua Maj. Gen. George Toisutta said there was no country in the world that could interfere with Indonesia's domestic issues. "And the Indonesian Military will defend Indonesia from any attempts of separation. We should not be inattentive," he said.