Jakarta - The Third Papuan Congress, which ended in chaos on October 19, 2011, raised significant questions. Not only from the congress organizers but also from the police.
Why? Indeed. Because the disbandment action carried out by the Jayapura Resort Police appeared so repressive, leaving no room for a persuasive approach. This is evidenced by the testimonies of several witnesses who happened to be congress participants.
Moments after the closing ceremony, police suddenly stormed into the congress venue and fired shots brutally. Frightened residents immediately scattered, fleeing to the mountain behind the field. Several “unlucky” civilians were arrested and beaten severely. Not only that, but a body identified as Melkias Kadepa was found around 4 PM WIT behind the Jayapura Military Resort command headquarters. The victim was suspected to have died from a gunshot wound. And dozens of others are believed to still be displaced in the forest.
The police's arrogance in handling this issue was evident. It appears that weapons are still relied upon to prevent the nation from fragmentation. The congress organizers and participants were chased up the mountain. This included the Chairman of the Papuan Customary Council, Forkorus Yeboisembut, who was appointed by the congress as the transitional president of the Democratic State of Papua, and Edison Waromi, who was appointed as prime minister.
Both were the first to be arrested by the police. “Forkorus had hidden in the Franciscan Monastery. When the police closed off the congress arena, he ran with Dominukus Sirabut and several members of the Papuan Land Guardians. Police swept the area and found him. He was immediately beaten and dragged to the center of the congress field,” said witness AR, a monk at the Franciscan Monastery.
Clearly, this was an unreasonable act. Although the police themselves denied the account, stating that they only fired warning shots, that denial seems insufficient.
Indeed, we acknowledge that the organization of a congress that ultimately transformed into the formation of a new, independent state is a very dangerous act for the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia. But is this the way to handle citizens who wish to voice their aspirations?
If this case is not resolved immediately, and the police do not try to change their approach to the community, then do not blame the people if a larger wave of “demands for independence” occurs.
Furthermore, these actions demanding independence certainly occur due to underlying specific reasons. There would be no smoke without fire. And the events that have unfolded in recent days in Indonesia's easternmost region seem to want to tell us why they are acting this way.
Indeed, we do not want Indonesia to lose any more of its territory. Papua is a part of our beloved nation. But Papua has also swallowed many bitter pills from this country: discrimination, underdeveloped regions, exploitation of wealth that ultimately only benefits a select few, and many more.
And this is what should be one of the central government's main focuses, especially at the beginning of a cabinet reshuffle, which naturally offers some hope to all Indonesian people. (Satrio)