Special Autonomy is the Act of Free Choice - Phase 2

By Rev. Socratez Sofyan Yoman, MA, Chairman of Papuan Baptist Churches in West Papua, 30 January 2005

Go to Malay Version HERE

A. BACKGROUND

The special autonomy law No. 21/2001 was born because of the demand from the West Papuan native people who wanted to have self-determination of their future life. The demand took place because of the cruelty, violence, deception and injustice of   the Indonesian government towards the native people of Papua (the Lord's people in the Land of Papua) since the integration of the native Papuans into the unitary state of Indonesia on May 1, 1963 before the Act of Free Choice in 1969.

The root of the cruelty, violence, deception, injustice and dishonesty of the Indonesian government towards the native West Papuan people are as follows:

(1) The New York Agreement, 15 August 1962 which was negotiated without involving the native people of West Papua as the owners of the Papuan land.

(2) The Act of Free Choice 1969 which was very dishonest and very undemocratic.

(3) Human Rights Abuses as a process to destroy the Papuans as an ethnic group (systematic genocide) which has been planned and carried out from 1962 until the present, 2005;

(4) Discrimination in the development process with the native West Papuans with no rights and appropriate empowerment.

(5) The massive transmigration programme (long term Islamization and Javanization (Indonesianization programme) in West Papua) in order to rule the area around the Pacific and Australia.

(6) Special Autonomy Law No. 21/ 2001 is the Act Free Choice 1969 Phase 2.

(7) The establishment of West Irian Jaya Province contradicts the national commitment which is stated in the Special Autonomy Law No 21/2001.

The period of the Indonesian occupation has been our saddest time in our recorded history. During this time human tragedy has occurred continuously among Papuans because of the killings committed by the Indonesian government for two main reasons:

(a) To maintain the integrity of the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia and therefore neglecting the integrity and the dignity of the Papuans; and

(b) To secure the state's vital assets -- the Natural Resources of West Papua.

The two reasons above have neglected the integrity and the human dignity of the native Papuan people as the nation's most vital assets.

Therefore, the church should not keep silent. In fact, the church must speak about truth, justice, love and peace to protect the Lord's people in West Papua so we could enjoy the freedom, justice, love and peace within a sovereign independent state like other nations in the world.

B. SPECIAL AUTONOMY LAW No. 21 / 2001

Special Autonomy is the 1969 Act of Free Choice Phase 2 with the purpose of torturing and destroying the native people of West Papua. This is proven by the fact that the special autonomy has been implemented for 4 years between 2001 and 2004, but the suffering of the West Papuan people has become even worse.

1. Military Operations have taken place everywhere in West Papua. There have been different kinds of manipulation and the addition of military personnel, which has increased, and have been stationed in all parts of West Papua.

2. With the operation of 6 big passenger ships, migrants have arrived daily to settle in West Papuan Land.

3. Most of the Special Autonomy funds from the regional and provincial governments have been used to fund the military operations.

4. The arrest, the imprisonment, the torture, the shooting, and the killing of the native West Papuans have increased in the last 4 years since Special Autonomy was implemented.

C. THE EXPANSION OF THE WEST IRIAN JAYA PROVINCE

The expansion of the West Irian Jaya Province is real evidence that :

1. The government of Indonesia was not serious about the interests of the native people of the West Papua.

2. The government of Indonesia did not seriously implement the Special Autonomy Law No. 21/2001 which was a commitment and a national political bargain which was legalized by the Indonesian House of Parliament and which has been supported by the European Union, the United States of America, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Pacific Island Forum and which has been accepted by the Papuan elite. Instead, the government issued a Presidential Decree No 1 / 2003 to expand the Province of West Irian Jaya.

The purpose of the expansion of the West Irian Jaya Province is as follows:

(a) For military purposes. That is to expand the military territory by establishing new headquarters at provincial, regency and district level in order to control and to narrow the movement and the freedom of the native West Papuans. The expansion of the West Irian Jaya Province is purely the work of the Indonesian Military intelligence.

(b) The expansion of job vacancies, particularly at the top management level:
Government officers from outside West Papua will fill the posts that cannot be filled by the native Papuans. These
[non-Papuan] people are the people who are jobless because of the restructuring of Indonesian government
departments at a national level. These people are sent to West Papua because many native Papuans do not have the appropriate education or rank to fill the posts.

(c) A systematic approach which has been programmed carefully to destroy (genocide) the native Papuans. This is done through transmigration program and illegal migration to fill areas which they claim to be "under-populated" by Papuans. Besides, there are efforts to Islamize, Indonesianize (Javanize) West Papua in the long term and also for Indonesia to rule the territory around the Pacific and Australian Zone.

(d) A systematic approach through the devide et impera (divide and conquer policy). This is done by isolating or grouping the native Papuans and creating a situation so that the Papuans could kill each other because of their efforts to defend their land rights or to compete for positions in government jobs.

(e) Polarization efforts : to polarize the native Papuans who are pro-Special Autonomy and pro-expansion [of West Irian Jaya Province] and those who are against, in order to make them fight against each other(devide et impera policy).

D. CONCLUSION

(1)The support from the European Union and the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia for Special Autonomy for West Papua means repeating the same mistake as the 1969 Act of Free Choice in West Papua.

(2) The support of the European Union, and the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia to
co-operate fully with the Indonesian Government to support Special Autonomy means they are working together to destroy the lives of native West Papuans whose faith is mostly Christian.

(3) The native people of West Papua do not need Special Autonomy but need instead an international dialogue which is honest, fair and democratic to determine their own life in their own land and country.

(4) The Special Autonomy Law No. 21/ 2001 is a great disaster for the native people of West Papua and with that there will be no hope for the future.

Rev. Socratez Sofyan Yoman, MA

Chairman of Papuan Baptist Churches in West Papua

30 January 2005

OTONOMI KHUSUS NO.21 TAHUN 2001 ADALAH PEPERA 1969 JILID KE-II

Oleh Rev. Socratez Sofyan Yoman, MA, Ketua Umum Persekutuan Gereja-gereja Baptis Papua West Papua

Baca Versi Inggris di SINI

A. LATAR BELAKANG MASALAH

Otonomi Khusus No 21 Tahun 2001 lahir karena ada tuntutan orang-orang asli West Papua mau menentukan nasib sendiri. Tuntutan itu karena, berbagai bentuk kekejaman, kekerasan, penipuan, ketidakadilan, ketidakjujuran, pemerintah Indonesia terhadap orang-orang asli Papua ( umat Tuhan di tanah Papua) sejak orang-orang asli Papua diintegrasikan ke dalam wilayah NKRI tanggal 1 Mei 1963 sebelum PEPERA 1969.

Akar kejahatan, kekejaman, kekerasan, penipuan, ketidakadilan, ketidakjujuran, pembohongan, penipuan, pemerintah Indonesia terhadap orang-orang asli Papua ( umat Tuhan di tanah Papua) sebagai berikut:
(1) Perjanjian New York 15 Agustus 1962 tanpa melibatkan orang-orang asli West Papua sebagai pemilik tanah.
(2) Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat (PEPERA) 1969 yang sangat tidak jujur dan tidak demokratis.
(3) Pelanggaran HAM adalah Proses Pemusnahan etnis Papua (genocide) sistimatis, terprogram sejak 1962 s/d 2005;
(4) Diskriminasi Dalam Pembangunan dan tidak ada pemberdayaan orang-orang asli West Papua dengan benar dan tepat.
(5) Pengiriman Transmigrasi Dalam Jumlah Besar ( Proses Islamisasi dan Jawanisasi jangka Panjang di West Papua) untuk menguasai Kawasan Pasifik dan Australia;
(6) Otonomi Khusus No. 21 Tahun 2001 adalah PEPERA 1969 Jilid ke-II
(7) Pemekaran Provinsi Irian Jaya Barat sangat kontroversial dengan komitmen nasional, yaitu Otonomi Khusus No. 21 Tahun 2001.

Sejarah mencatat, bahwa perjalanan kehidupan orang-orang asli West Papua bersama Indonesia sangat memilukan hati, karena tragedy kemanusiaan terus-menerus terjadi terhadap orang-orang asli West Papua dengan dua yang dipakai oleh pemerintah Republik Indonesia untuk membunuh orang-orang asli Papua:
(b) Menjaga integritas wilayah NKRI, tanpa mengabaikan integritas atau martabat manusia Papua; dan
(c) Mengamankan Sumber Daya Alam (SDA) Papua sebagai asset vital negara.

Dua alasan ini sangat mengabaikan integritas, martabat dan hak-hak asasi orang-orang asli Papua sebagai asset vital negara.

Karena itu, Gereja tidak harus terus berdiam diri, tetapi Gereja harus berbicara (bersuara) untuk melindungi umat Tuhan dengan menyampaikan berita yang benar, jujur, adil, demokratis, kasih dan perdamaian. Supaya umat Tuhan (orang-orang asli West Papua) dapat menikmati kebebasan, keadilan, kasih dan kedamaian melalui negara yang merdeka dan berdaulat seperti umat manusia di dunia lain.

B. OTONOMI KHUSUS No. 21 TAHUN 2001

Otonomi Khusus adalah PEPERA 1969 Jilid ke-II dengan tujuan membantai dan memusnahkan orang-orang asli West Papua. Itu terbukti dengan berjalannya Otonomi Khusus selama 4 tahun sejak 2001 s/d 2004 penderitaan orang-orang asli West Papua semakin hebat.
1. Operasi militer Indonesia di mana-mana dengan berbagai bentuk rekayasa dan penambahan jumlah militer Indonesia semakin meningkat di West Papua dengan ditempatnya di seluruh pelosok tanah West Papua.

2. Penduduk migran (pendatang) setiap hari terus bertambah dengan beroperasinya 6 kapal putih dari luar Papua ke tanah West Papua.

3. Dana Otonomi Khusus dipakai lebih banyak untuk biaya Operasi Militer yang dikeluarkan oleh pemerintah Provinsi dan Kabupaten.

4. Penangkapan, pemenjaraan, penyiksaan, penembakan dan pembunuhan terhadap orang asli West Papua semakin meningkat selama 4 tahun sejak diimplementasikan Otonomi Khusus.

C. PEMERAKARAN PROVINSI IRIAN JAYA BARAT

Pemekaran Provinsi Irian Jaya Barat adalah bukti nyata bahwa:

1. Pemerintah Indonesia tidak serius dan sungguh-sungguh mengurus orang-orang asli Papua.
2. Pemerintah Indonesia tidak melaksanakan dengan sungguh-sungguh Otonomi Khusus No. 21 Tahun 2001 merupakan komitmen dan bargaining politik nasional yang telah diberikan legitimasi oleh DPR/MPR RI dan mendapat dukungan kuat dari Uni Eropa, Amerika, Australia, Inggris dan Forum Kepulauan Pasifik, dan juga diterima oleh sebagian elit orang-orang Papua dengan mengeluarkan SK Presiden No.I Tahun 2003 untuk pemekaran Provinsi Irian Jaya Barat yang sangat kontrovesial dengan isi Undang-Undang Otonomi Khusus No.21 Tahun 2001.

Tujuan pemekaran Provinsi Irian Jaya Barat sebagai berikut:

(a) Kepentingan pendekatan keamanan, yaitu pengembangan sayap militer dengan mendirikan Kodam baru, Kodim, Koramil untuk mengontrol dan mempersempit ruang gerak dan kebebasan orang-orang asli Papua. Pemekaran Provinsi Irian Jaya Barat dan Pemekaran Kabupaten dan Kota di Provinsi Papua adalah murni Operasi Intelejen Militer Indonesia.
(b) Perluasan lapangan kerja dengan pendropingan para Pejabat dari luar Papua yang sekarang tanpa job (jobless) sebagai akibat restrukturisasi atau peleburan dari Departemen-Departemen kedalam Dinas-Dinas. Pendropingan ini akan terwujud dengan dasar bahwa orang-orang asli Papua belum banyak memenuhi criteria kepangkatan, eselonisasi dan pendidikan penjenjangan;
(c) Upaya sistimatis dan tersusun untuk memusnahkan (genosida) orang-orang asli Papua dengan pengiriman Transmigrasi ataupun imigran gelap dengan alasan orang-orang asli Papua kurang penduduk di daerah pemekaran Provinsi baru (upaya Islamisasi dan Jawanisasi nasional jangka panjang di Papua untuk menguasai Kawasan Pasifik dan Australia)
(d) Upaya sistimatis sebagai politik devide et impera (politik adu domba) dengan mengisolasi atau mengelompokkan orang-orang asli Papua supaya saling membunuh antar orang-orang asli Papua dalam mempertahankan tanah dan daerah mereka masing-masing dan perebutan jabatan.
(e) Upaya polarisasi orang-orang Papua yang pro-Otonomi Khusus dan Pro-Pemekaran sebagai politik adu domba (politik de vide et impera) yang mengarah pada perang Saudara sewaktu-waktu antar orang-orang Papua sendiri.

D. KESIMPULAN

(1)Pemerintah Amerika, Uni Eropa, Inggris, Australia, mendukung Otonomi Khusus untuk West Papua berarti melakukan kesalahan yang sama dalam PEPERA 1969 di West Papua.
(2)Pemerintah Amerika, Uni Eropa, Inggris, Australia mendukung Otonomi Khusus berarti mendukung penuh dan turut bekerja sama dengan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia untuk memusnahkan orang-orang asli West Papua yang mayoritas adalah beragama Kristen.
(3) Orang-orang asli West Papua tidak membutuhkan Otonomi Khusus, tetapi mau dialog internasional yang jujur, adil, demokratis untuk menentukan nasib sendiri di tanah dan negeri mereka.
(4) Otonomi Khusus No. 21 Tahun 2001 adalah malapetaka besar bagi orang-orang asli West Papua dan tidak ada harapan masa depan.