5 July 2001 Edition
West Papuans hopeful of independence
BY SOLEDAD GALIANA
West Papua is one of the world's forgotten nations. After nearly 40 years of conflict, it is only in the last few years that the international community has become aware of its plight. Repressed by the Indonesian government, ignored by the West, Papuans struggle to survive as a people.
The military are everywhere and they do not allow you to speak your language. Our music has been banned. We have 245 tribes, 245 languages. All are ignored and everyone is Indonesian.
Sem Karoba, who represents Papua's Union of Students, is also the international spokesperson for the Papuan Presidium Council, the institution that represents the will of the Papuan people. His work consists of spreading information about the situation in West Papua and lobbying politicians and governments.
West Papua is situated in the western part of the world's second largest island, in the Western Pacific, north of Australia. It has not figured on the international political agenda since 1952, when the Netherlands conceded to West Papua the right to self-determination. Had Indonesia not intervened, West Papua would have achieved self-determination by 1970.
On 17 August 1945, the Republic of the United States of Indonesia - a federation of 16 states - was proclaimed. By that time, Indonesia already had its eye on West Papua, but it was not until Sukarno managed to transform the Indonesian federation into a so-called ``Unitary Republic'' - a centralised state controlled by the Javanese elite - that the Indonesian establishment moved.
By the end of the 1950s, after a number of military encounters, the Dutch and Indonesian governments, under pressure from the US, sat down to negotiate the future of West Papua. They signed the New York Agreement in 1962. No one from the West Papuan representative bodies was invited to the negotiations. No West Papuan was ever consulted. ``The Dutch government knew that the West Papuans had chosen representatives, what was called at the time the New Guinea Council, but they were ignored; there was no consultation, legally or personally,'' explains Karoba.
``What we said last year in a resolution of the West Papuan Congress was that we refute this Agreement. We were not part of the drafting, signing and/or implementation process. They were talking about Papuans, but no Papuans were involved.''
Indonesia took over West Papua, or Irian Jaya, as Indonesia termed the territory, on 1 May 1963. International supervision ceased.
In 1965, when the West Papuan people saw the Indonesian military moving in, and realised that the international community had decided to ignore their plight for independence, they started fighting. The Free Papua Movement (OPM) was created. They fought against the Indonesian military with bows and arrows. Indonesia reacted with increasing repression and military attacks.
In late 1981, after a Dutch television crew had filmed hundreds of people carrying spears and shouting anti-Indonesian slogans, the Indonesian military bombarded one of the most densely populated areas of West Papua, the Paniai basin, killing 2,500 people.
In 1969, Sukarno moved to fulfil one of the New York Agreement clauses, which stipulated that the Papuans should have a chance to vote for or against integration with Indonesia. So he organised the Act of Free Choice.
``We had 880,000 inhabitants in West Papua,'' recalls Karoba, ``but only 1,025 people were selected by the government to vote, including my father and some of his friends. They were lied to; they could not speak Indonesian, so they were just told what to say, and forced to repeat it. They were taught to say ``I like Indonesia'', ``I want Indonesia'', ``I do not like Netherlands'', ``Welcome Indonesia''... they were all drilled during four or five months before the Act of Free Choice was going to take place. And on the day they were told to repeat what they had been taught.''
Meanwhile, the Guinea Council - the West Papuan parliament established by the Netherlands - was banned. Its members were prosecuted. Many of them are still in exile in the Netherlands. ``People were not allowed to freely express their opinions, and legitimate representatives were not allowed to vote. So, it was not democratic, it did not respect human rights,'' says Karoba. The UN Secretary General's special representative during the `referendum' in West Papua, Fernando Ortiz-Sanz, reporting the result to the UN, expressed his doubts over the handling of the so-called referendum: ``I regret to have to express my reservation regarding the implementation of article XXII of the Agreement relating `to the rights, including the rights to free speech, freedom of movement and of assembly, of the inhabitants of the area'. In spite of my constant efforts, this important provision was not fully implemented and the Administration exercised at all times a tight political control over the population,'' he said.
After the arrival of the troops, Indonesia set to take over West Papua using the old method of plantation. They called it ``Transmigration''.
The transmigration programme has deeply affected Papuans' lives. After 30 years of plantation, the West Papuan indigenous population is now a minority. There are only 1.5 million Papuans, compared to around two or 2.5 million Javanese in West Papua. The Indonesians settled where tribal people used to live and to `protect' the new settlements, there was an increased military presence.
Indonesian legislation does not allow for the publication of books that refer to West Papua in any way as a separate entity. There are no books on West Papua or using the West Papuan language. There is also a media blackout on the different ethnic groups. ``We are not allowed to speak our language in the streets or markets. The military are everywhere and they do not allow you to speak your language. I cannot sing any song in the West Papuan language. Our music has been banned. The only place where we can speak our language and express our culture freely is in the jungle,'' says Karoba.
``We are not allowed to carry anything on our hair or hands to symbolise that we are Papuans. We cannot play our music on a tape recorder. And we have 245 tribes, 245 languages. All are ignored and everyone is Indonesian.''
The Indonesians have strong economic interests in remaining in West Papua. Papuans are sitting on the most desired copper, silver and gold reserves in the world, calculated to have stocks for more than 100 years.
``When Western countries say that they do not want to denounce Indonesian activities in West Papua, what they are really saying is that they want to protect their investments. It is not about Indonesian `Balkanisation'. Bush can say that he is worried about Indonesia, but actually, he is worried about what Americans want, and they want to exploit West Papua's resources. They do not care about human rights violations in West Papua or the political situation in Indonesia, only about economics,'' says Karoba.
At the moment, Indonesia is in turmoil. President Wahid is facing possible impeachment in Parliament, and the fight for the presidency is in full swing, with Wahid's deputy, Megawati Sukarnoputri, moving closer to the military to facilitate a takeover if Wahid falls.
``Wahid's only strength is West Papua, Aceh, Moluccas, Borneo, and Matura...'', explains Karoba. ``The ultra-islands, as we call them, to differentiate them from the Javanese island. He has declared that if he steps down, he will give independence to all the ultra-islanders.''
Karoba believes West Papua and other island nations stand a good chance of obtaining independence, but it very much relies on the will of President Wahid. At the moment, the OPM is on a ceasefire to allow for political dialogue. ``This is the right time. That is the reason why we are coming to Ireland, because you have the experience of colonisation and transmigration, because you know about negotiating and reaching a peaceful settlement. The Good Friday Agreement is a good example.''
West Papua is one of the world's forgotten nations. After nearly 40 years of conflict, it is only in the last few years that the international community has become aware of its plight. Repressed by the Indonesian government, ignored by the West, Papuans struggle to survive as a people.
The military are everywhere and they do not allow you to speak your language. Our music has been banned. We have 245 tribes, 245 languages. All are ignored and everyone is Indonesian.
Sem Karoba, who represents Papua's Union of Students, is also the international spokesperson for the Papuan Presidium Council, the institution that represents the will of the Papuan people. His work consists of spreading information about the situation in West Papua and lobbying politicians and governments.
West Papua is situated in the western part of the world's second largest island, in the Western Pacific, north of Australia. It has not figured on the international political agenda since 1952, when the Netherlands conceded to West Papua the right to self-determination. Had Indonesia not intervened, West Papua would have achieved self-determination by 1970.
On 17 August 1945, the Republic of the United States of Indonesia - a federation of 16 states - was proclaimed. By that time, Indonesia already had its eye on West Papua, but it was not until Sukarno managed to transform the Indonesian federation into a so-called ``Unitary Republic'' - a centralised state controlled by the Javanese elite - that the Indonesian establishment moved.
By the end of the 1950s, after a number of military encounters, the Dutch and Indonesian governments, under pressure from the US, sat down to negotiate the future of West Papua. They signed the New York Agreement in 1962. No one from the West Papuan representative bodies was invited to the negotiations. No West Papuan was ever consulted. ``The Dutch government knew that the West Papuans had chosen representatives, what was called at the time the New Guinea Council, but they were ignored; there was no consultation, legally or personally,'' explains Karoba.
``What we said last year in a resolution of the West Papuan Congress was that we refute this Agreement. We were not part of the drafting, signing and/or implementation process. They were talking about Papuans, but no Papuans were involved.''
Indonesia took over West Papua, or Irian Jaya, as Indonesia termed the territory, on 1 May 1963. International supervision ceased.
In 1965, when the West Papuan people saw the Indonesian military moving in, and realised that the international community had decided to ignore their plight for independence, they started fighting. The Free Papua Movement (OPM) was created. They fought against the Indonesian military with bows and arrows. Indonesia reacted with increasing repression and military attacks.
In late 1981, after a Dutch television crew had filmed hundreds of people carrying spears and shouting anti-Indonesian slogans, the Indonesian military bombarded one of the most densely populated areas of West Papua, the Paniai basin, killing 2,500 people.
In 1969, Sukarno moved to fulfil one of the New York Agreement clauses, which stipulated that the Papuans should have a chance to vote for or against integration with Indonesia. So he organised the Act of Free Choice.
``We had 880,000 inhabitants in West Papua,'' recalls Karoba, ``but only 1,025 people were selected by the government to vote, including my father and some of his friends. They were lied to; they could not speak Indonesian, so they were just told what to say, and forced to repeat it. They were taught to say ``I like Indonesia'', ``I want Indonesia'', ``I do not like Netherlands'', ``Welcome Indonesia''... they were all drilled during four or five months before the Act of Free Choice was going to take place. And on the day they were told to repeat what they had been taught.''
Meanwhile, the Guinea Council - the West Papuan parliament established by the Netherlands - was banned. Its members were prosecuted. Many of them are still in exile in the Netherlands. ``People were not allowed to freely express their opinions, and legitimate representatives were not allowed to vote. So, it was not democratic, it did not respect human rights,'' says Karoba. The UN Secretary General's special representative during the `referendum' in West Papua, Fernando Ortiz-Sanz, reporting the result to the UN, expressed his doubts over the handling of the so-called referendum: ``I regret to have to express my reservation regarding the implementation of article XXII of the Agreement relating `to the rights, including the rights to free speech, freedom of movement and of assembly, of the inhabitants of the area'. In spite of my constant efforts, this important provision was not fully implemented and the Administration exercised at all times a tight political control over the population,'' he said.
After the arrival of the troops, Indonesia set to take over West Papua using the old method of plantation. They called it ``Transmigration''.
The transmigration programme has deeply affected Papuans' lives. After 30 years of plantation, the West Papuan indigenous population is now a minority. There are only 1.5 million Papuans, compared to around two or 2.5 million Javanese in West Papua. The Indonesians settled where tribal people used to live and to `protect' the new settlements, there was an increased military presence.
Indonesian legislation does not allow for the publication of books that refer to West Papua in any way as a separate entity. There are no books on West Papua or using the West Papuan language. There is also a media blackout on the different ethnic groups. ``We are not allowed to speak our language in the streets or markets. The military are everywhere and they do not allow you to speak your language. I cannot sing any song in the West Papuan language. Our music has been banned. The only place where we can speak our language and express our culture freely is in the jungle,'' says Karoba.
``We are not allowed to carry anything on our hair or hands to symbolise that we are Papuans. We cannot play our music on a tape recorder. And we have 245 tribes, 245 languages. All are ignored and everyone is Indonesian.''
The Indonesians have strong economic interests in remaining in West Papua. Papuans are sitting on the most desired copper, silver and gold reserves in the world, calculated to have stocks for more than 100 years.
``When Western countries say that they do not want to denounce Indonesian activities in West Papua, what they are really saying is that they want to protect their investments. It is not about Indonesian `Balkanisation'. Bush can say that he is worried about Indonesia, but actually, he is worried about what Americans want, and they want to exploit West Papua's resources. They do not care about human rights violations in West Papua or the political situation in Indonesia, only about economics,'' says Karoba.
At the moment, Indonesia is in turmoil. President Wahid is facing possible impeachment in Parliament, and the fight for the presidency is in full swing, with Wahid's deputy, Megawati Sukarnoputri, moving closer to the military to facilitate a takeover if Wahid falls.
``Wahid's only strength is West Papua, Aceh, Moluccas, Borneo, and Matura...'', explains Karoba. ``The ultra-islands, as we call them, to differentiate them from the Javanese island. He has declared that if he steps down, he will give independence to all the ultra-islanders.''
Karoba believes West Papua and other island nations stand a good chance of obtaining independence, but it very much relies on the will of President Wahid. At the moment, the OPM is on a ceasefire to allow for political dialogue. ``This is the right time. That is the reason why we are coming to Ireland, because you have the experience of colonisation and transmigration, because you know about negotiating and reaching a peaceful settlement. The Good Friday Agreement is a good example.''