Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Representatives of four regencies in southern Papua met with the provincial legislative council Friday to demand the establishment of a South Papua province.
Some 70 representatives from Merauke, Mappi, Boven Digoel and Asmat regencies, led by Merauke Deputy Regent Maryoto, met with councillors. The delegation was received by the council's deputy speakers Komarudin Watubun, Yop Kogoya and Paskalis Kossay.
Yoseph Mehuze, a spokesman for the group, said the four regencies were acting like "a son" asking his parents' blessing to get married. "We're ready to get married and we ask for the blessing of Papua province, as our parent," he said.
According to Merauke regency administration official Agustina Basik-Bakis, the idea of an autonomous South Papua has been around since even before Indonesia's independence.
She said the creation of the new province would help the region catch up in terms of development, as well as shortening bureaucratic procedures and improving services to residents.
The four regencies demanding their own province were previously incorporated under one regency, Merauke. Mappi, Boven Digoel and Asmat were separated from Merauke in a 2002 law on the formation of 14 regencies in Papua province.
Responding to the demand, legislative council Deputy Speaker Komarudin said that if a son is ready to get married, the parents will give their blessing, but at the same time the parents have to ensure it is the correct decision.
He said the council would set up a special committee to discuss the proposal. The committee's recommendation will then be passed on to the Papuan People's Council.
However, he said the legislative council is currently deliberating the provincial budget, and any discussion on the creation of the new province would have to wait until the deliberations were completed.
Representatives from Sorong regency in western Papua met with the legislative council in the middle of January to demand the formation of a Southwest Papua province.
However, at least one community leader, Lazarus Indow, chairman of the Manokwari Arfak Intellectuals, said the petition for the creation of Southwest Papua province was incorrectly taken to the Papua Legislative Council, because the territory in question is located in West Irian Jaya province.
"They should have conveyed their demand to the West Irian Jaya legislature (in Manokwari) instead, and not the Papua legislature. West Irian Jaya has its own governor and legislature now," he said.
Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu said all petitions on the establishment of a new province had to go through all legal procedures, as outlined in the 2001 law on special autonomy for the territory.
The governor did not say if, in the case of the petition on Southwest Papua, it should have gone through the Papua or West Irian Jaya legislature.