The Future of West Papua under Megawati's Leadership

Historical Flashback

Papuan people or at least the Papua Presidium Council (PDP) members were lucky enough to have Prof. Dr. B.J. Habibie and K.H. Aburrahman Wahid as democratic Presidents respectively in the last three and a half years. They both had respect to human rights more than politics for politics only. Mr. Habibie is a professor in science and technology that uses logic reasons in responding to problems. He found that the invasions into West Papua and East Timor did not make sense. He started to sort them out logically, not politically. After giving the path towards independence of East Timor, Mr. Habibie was the first President of Indonesia who allowed Papuans to meet him in his presidential palace and gave them chance for the first time to `demand for West Papua independence' on 26 February 1999.

Mr. Wahid was a traditional leader. Traditionally in the East, things are normally sorted after hours or even days and months of discussions and consultations. This was the path he chose. He was a religious leader, therefore, concern for human rights was more than mere politics. After he was elected, he was oblidged to continue what Habibie has started. He spent the New Year's Eve of 1999 in West Papua. And he was forced by Papuans (the same people who met Mr. Habibie) to openly acknowledge the name Irian Jaya to become Papua and to allow Papuan Flag, the Morning Star to be hoisted all over the country of West Papua. The outcome was that he approved the demands and alo released all political prisoners from West Papua.

Then Mr. Wahid gave a go-ahead and even financially sponsored the Papua People's Congress II 2000 and promised to officially open the Congress. However, his visit was turned down with heavy military pressure on him. The outcome of the Congress was that Papuans demanded to get out from Indonesia. The demand to Mr. Habibie was endorsed at the Congress and presented to Mr. Wahid. His humanitarian approach was soon prevented by the military by giving him no permit at all even to think about having dialogue with Papuan leaders and representatives (PDP).

Based on the Congress Resolutions, Papuans demanded dialogue with Jakarta, but it has chosen to ignore dialogue and has taken repressive measures as its response. Instead of official dialogue, Mr. Wahid held various private conversations with the Papua Presidium Council (PDP) members.

Finally, Mr. Wahid's impeachment last week was also due to his support (at least moral support) to various independence movements outside Java Island (outer-islanders). Actually he was not supporting, but he was acting as the religious leader and as a traditional leader.

It is now Megawati Sukarnoputri's turn to deal with Papua political problem. She is not, in modern terms, a leader as such. She does not fulfill any criteria to be a leader. But she is the best person to be led, not to lead. That was the main reason why she was elected. The person who elected her will be the leaders and she will be led through the paths they will point her to go. Who are they? They are Golkar party of Suharto and military commanders. And they are the foreign powers who want to see investments in Indonesia to expand and improve.

Is she the next Sukarno, the next Suharto or the next democratic leader that respects human rights?

Papuans used Habibie with the term as "one of our colleagues from Eastern Indonesia." It was easy to approach him on face-to-face and humanitarian and "one of us" basis. Later, Papuans used moral and humanitarian approach to influence Mr. Wahid's nationalism in order to make him more open to the voice of the Papuans. What is the best trick the PDP will use for the current President? Humanitarian? Democratic? Moral?

The answer came first from Papua Governor, Jaap Solossa. When Megawati was elected, Papua Governor, Mr. Solossa demanded Megawati to fulfil her father's promise. He said, "Sukarno promised welfare and better life for West Papua"! Did Sukarno say so to Papuans or West Papua? No. What he said was that, "West Irian (its name in Sukarno time) will be given independence after 25 years of Indonesia rule and `development activities' in West Papua." The Netherlands as the colonial power during negotiations to hand over West Papua to Indonesia was assured by Soekarno and the USA that Indonesia will give another chance for the Papuans to decide their political future democratically after 25 years.

Why "development"? It is not surprising to read various statements made by world leaders at that time that Papuans were cannibals, primitives and stone-age peoples. Therefore, it was understandable for Indonesia to offer its help for the Papuans to "develop the Papuans or make them more humans", as we can say, within 25 year-term of development. This was why the Netherlands promised to grant development aids specifically for West Papua through a foundation called The Irian Jaya Joint Development Foundation (IJDF), which was unfortunately closed down by Indonesia in 1990s. The USA also guaranteed funds through the World Bank to fund the Indonesia's social-engineering programme called "transmigration." Almost 1 million Javanese are resettled into West Papua. The USA also guaranteed funds through the Asia Development Bank for other development programmes to be carried out in West Papua.

In return, the USA was given full right to exploit natural resources in West Papua, be it gold, be it copper, be it oil, and others. The mining operations carried out by Freeport McMoRan Inc. based in New Orleans, USA is the obvious example. Papuans call this as a political project of the USA in Asia-Pacific region. What did the Netherlands receieve as a compensation? Good trade relations and ABM AMRO Bank was said to be funded by the USA? No one clearly knows, but logically they cannot just leave their Netherlands Nieuw Guinea with empty hands. It is a shameful thing to do, of course, by a colonial power like the Netherlands.

The 25-year term started from 1 May 1963 and terminated already on May 1, 1988. Certainly this was why a Papuan scholar, Dr. Thomas W. Wainggai, SH declared West Papuan independence on 14 December 1988, who was then sentenced to serve 20 years in jail but died due to food poisoning in 1996. Thus, legally, Indonesia's occupation in West Papua commencing from 1 May 1988 has been illegal or without any legal base at all.

Only 11 years after the termination of the 25-year development term, the Dutch Parliament was brave enough to visit West Papua. The purpose was to assess the outcome of the Development Funds provided through the IJDF. In 2000, some members of the Dutch Parliament made their first visit to assess the outcome of the funds through IJDF. This year they came again starting from May 2nd. What is the outcome? No one knows.

Thus, the promise made by Sukarno is legally expired or invalid and that Megawati is the person to review this very document to justify her government's occupation in Indonesia since 1988. Therefore, even though it is late, it is the right time now for Mega to fulfill her father's promise. She needs to be led by the Papuans, not expecting her to lead the Papuans. If PPD does not do this, the enemies of Papuans will do, and this will not be the wish of Papuans.

Four Doors for PDP to Approach Megawati

It is time now for Papuans to demand for the fulfilment of Sukarno's promise. PDP should approach Megawati as the fifth President of Indonesia. Secondly, PDP also can approach here as the first daughter of of Mr. Sukarno. Ms Mega should be accountable for her father's promise as President Sukarno and father Sukarno. The question now is "Will she stand as the President of Indonesia only or also as the first daughter of Sukarno, which in Eastern culture carries a significant responsibility to complete any unfinished busnisses of her late father?"

Besides, she is the first women to be President in Indonesia, and this chance has more emotional effect in her leadership. Thus, she is not only the daughter of a former President but also the Mother of all Indonesians, and the mother of her biological children. PDP should find approaches to address her motherhood. But PDP needs to ask, "Does she stand as a mother or merely as a President?"

Fourth, Ms Megawati and Papuans were all victims of and brutally treated by Suharto in the past 32 years. In other words, both shared the same fate during 32-year-control by military-dictator Suharto. Papuans have been her supporters since her party: Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was established. When she was attacked by Suharto's gangs in the last general election, Papuans were the strong supporters. When Suharto managed to move Mega from her position as the Chair of PDI, Mega formed PDI-Struggle (PDI-P) and Papuans straight away supported her PDI-P.

She must know why Papuans support her. It is not because her party is better than the others. Not because she is a woman-leader. Not because she has done many useful things for West Papua. Not at all. Papuans wanted to put Megawati on the Presidential Seat and afterwards they wanted her to fulfill her father's promise to Papuans. This has been the only reason why Papuans fought for her for more than 30 years now. By luck, she is now the President, it is therefore, the time to demand for the fulfilment of her father's promise.

The Governor of Papua is the first person to claim the promise. PDP represents the Papuans' voice and they should be prepared by now to communicate the demands to Ms President.

The matter is not complicated, it is just a demand to fulfill the promise, not something out from the air, not something without legal base, not something Papuans made up, not something that Mega should argue against.

But PDP must not forget, that Megawati's triangular-politics (army - Suharto and or Golkar - foreign aids), which make her no difference with Suharto, her enemies in the fight to enter the Presidential Palace but her best cronies in political ideologies, will not bring any luck to the Papuans. What they are bound to get from apparent gestures made by Mega is more dead Papuans, more exploitation of natural resources, and more poverty and resentment all over West Papua against the unitary republic of Indonesia. If the PDP is really fighting for an independent West Papua, all PDP members must be prepared to move forward at any costs, bringing the mandate of the Papua People's Congress II 2000 to the world, proclaiming its mission to promote truth and justice in West Papua through a civilised way called dialogue that is peaceful and democratic.