Catholic leaders have warned against the transmigration program of new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in conflict-stricken Papua, saying bringing in non-Papuans to the easternmost region will result in problems for the ethnic people.
After his inauguration on Oct. 20, Subianto announced the program in which transmigrants will be sent to the eastern parts of Indonesia, including Papua province.
The program is intended to realize welfare equality across regions, according to the newly created transmigration ministry, separate from the ministry of villages.
The plan also includes starting 1 million hectares of new rice fields in Papua province.
The program was unveiled by transmigration minister Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara at a meeting of the House of Representatives – the upper house – on Oct. 29.
"Papua is not empty land. This is land owned by the people," said Melianus Asso, head of the Papuan Catholic Youth.
"We, the Papuan Catholic Youth, do not need a transmigration program," added Asso.
We need education, health, access to clean water, electricity, and other basic facilities, he demanded.
In a statement on Oct. 30, the Papuan Catholic Youth asked the government to review the new plan, which is part of a national strategic program.
Tino Mote, a member of the Papuan Catholic Youth, said the transmigration program and the rice field project are not in line with "the needs of the local community."
As a Catholic organization based on the values of Pope Francis' Laudato si (praise be to you), "we are responsible for preserving the environment," he said.
He stressed the need to protect indigenous people in Papua.
Stefanus Asat Gusma, the chairperson of Papuan Catholic Youth, said he will "bring this issue to the attention of the president, the ministry and the military which is currently serving in the troubled province.
Augustinian Father Bernard Baru said the migration of non-Papuans has made indigenous people a minority in Papua.
"This [transmigration program] will only worsen the marginalization of indigenous Papuans," he told UCA News.
He said the program is another way to control Papua. "In urban areas, immigrants now dominate, while indigenous Papuans live in remote areas," he said.
Papua has a population of 4.3 million and Christians make up 85.02 percent – Protestants 69.39 percent and Catholics 15.63 percent.
Due to the prolonged conflict, the former Dutch colony is one of the poorest provinces in Indonesia. In March, the province recorded a poverty rate of 17.26 percent, almost double the national average of 9.03 percent.
Studies by University of Sydney academic James Elmslie have shown that the indigenous Papuan population has dwarfed at 1.84 percent compared with the non-Papuan population which stands at 10.82 percent in the province.
The Papuans want to free their region from Indonesian control, but Indonesia looks to suppress it militarily. The region is home to the world's largest gold mine, as well as extensive sources of natural gas, minerals, timber and palm oil.
The struggle, ongoing since 1962, is estimated to have killed up to 500,000 people. At least 300 people have died in the last decade.
Source: https://www.ucanews.com/news/papuans-decry-indonesias-transmigration-program/10687