Indonesian Government’s Strategy on Papua

This writing is going to present and focusing on 2 essential points:

1. Suggesting different points of view and different perspectives of what the mainstream media has shown related to the issue in Papua.
2. Giving critical argument and antithesis of the main issue that has been widespread and framed mainly by mainstream media.

Contents:

1. Nation-State Territorial Integrity and Sovereignty Threat.
2. State’s Right to Exercise the Defence and Deterrence.
3. Opponent’s Motives and its Means.
4. Attempts on Papua Building.

Read More : Papua, Vanuatu dan Indonesia

Some many articles or papers have been published or opinions that have been widespread all over the world trying to analyze and criticize the issue in Papua. Many or most articles claim about the brutality and cruelty of the Indonesian government. It also includes biased evidence and reports of the inhumanity and human rights violations done and practiced by the Indonesian government. With that is being said, the conflict is complex. If the conflict and situation are complex and complicated, it is necessary to analyze and observe the conflict from many different angles and points of view. Analyzing the issue with lack of objectivity and adding with a personal interest in it, will not create any solutions and will put it in an endless issue. Many neighboring countries or internationals actors trying to put or exercise their influence in this issue with the goal and objectives on their end. The countries like Vanuatu, Solomon Island, and Tonga are trying to give their back and assistant to the armed criminal movement in Papua. While international organizations are trying to intervene and frame the issue to benefit their end by sending journalists and reporters, which are not working objectively because of their background interest or the false information made by the criminal movement(that pretend to be civil). With this hard and complex condition and situation, the information and data that gain and obtained by the journalist and reporter are more likely to be biased rather than objective. It is obvious when the data and information gain and obtained by the other belligerent, the outcome will be to their ends. Especially with the natural resource that is well known is extremely rich, which captured the foreign attention to step their influence and interference in the region.

It is undeniable the importance and the significant role of media and opinion that created and shaped within the country or outside the country on the development and solving issue. People within or outside and international actors’ reactions are very crucial to the progress of the solving issue. As the content has mentioned above let’s discuss them in detail:

1. Nation-State Territorial Integrity and Sovereignty Threat

Indonesia is extremely insisted and highly committed to the integrity and sovereignty of the state. It’s a normal and basic matter for the state to be highly concerned and serious about that sensitive matter. It is impossible or almost none the country in the world that give up and take easy on the integrity and sovereignty issue. Therefore, the issue on Papua has captured and gained great attention from the Indonesian government, that is because the issue challenged and troubled the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Indonesia. As mentioned earlier, not only Indonesia, any country around the world will take any necessary action against this issue. This is where the rising tension of the issue begins, an action that exercised and implemented, once or twice, was not according to the procedure or SOP, this matter will be discussed in the next subtheme.

Discussing the issue, let’s include the important event that related to this issue, the Act of Free Choice or known as PEPERA (Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat) between July and August 1969. This event was well known for its controversy. I would like to suggest my idea and opinion on this. Although, or if it what was happened, first at that time the situation and condition were not as stable and as steady as now or as a present, therefore it will be unequal to disapprove and or condemn it. The instability and disorder in the region were the reason that pushed and forced the event to take place. If we look at the history clearly and fully, it is said that Soekarno was so vocal about the independence of West Papua from the Dutch and insisted the Dutch leave West Papua as soon as possible. Soekarno was also the one that helped the West Papua by rising weapons against the Dutch.

Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is also facing and dealing with a similar problem, the armed criminal movement. PNGDF has conducted and performed joint border patrols together with Indonesia since the 1980s. means, it’s not only Indonesia that confronting and trying to push back and fight the armed criminal movement, but also the Papua New Guinea defense force. Papua New Guinea also has been dismissing and expelling people or civilians or residents of border crossers and vow of absence anti-Indonesia activity or exercise for migrants residing in PNG. The other reason is that the armed criminal movement attacking business projects and politicians. This could prove that the justification of the armed criminal movement is absolutely a threat and disturbance for both counties, Indonesia and Papua new guinea. If we see from this context, we can have some clarification that the Indonesian government exercised and performed the army forces, not under race hatred nor to indigenous people, but the armed criminal movement.

2. State’ Right to Exercise the Defence and Deterrence

It is the right of the state to exercise and use its power to defend and survive any external and foreign attack, force, and influence that may danger and disturb the integrity and sovereignty of the state. It sounds very radical at some point, but if we look at it at the full case and complete degree, the sovereignty and integration of the state consist of the civil, people, and government. Eradicating the disturbance and safeguarding the integrity and sovereignty of the state means, the state is trying and attempting with their power and force to protect the civil, people, and government in it. If they let the issue rise to the surface and let it break out, there is going to be instability and disorder on civilians, government, and state.

The case of the consequences of exercising the power such as human rights violation, natural exploitation, and sexual violation, is debatable. Again, exercising the power done by the government was just effect and react from the action and the cause of the armed criminal movement. There will be no smoke without fire. Talking and discussing the action, cause, and fire, let’s break down the human rights violations exercised by the armed criminal movement. The terrorist is well known for its brutality and inhumanity, started from killing the teachers, massacring the innocent civilians, until the burning and destroying the school where the children get the education for their future. All of these were never rising to the surface, all the brutality by the terrorist never showed in the mainstream media, this is what the writer is concerned about. The brutality that showed in media is only blaming and accusing the Indonesian government and army national forces. The mainstream media is only presenting and providing the information of brutality by government and closed-eyed of the brutality done by terrorists.

By this, the terrorists gain so many advantages and benefits to play their card victim and hide their brutality actions. The former member of the armed criminal movement, confess and repent for all that he has done in that terrorist movement. Two of them admit that what terrorist has done was inhumanity and brutal, not to the migrants but also the indigenous of Papua, their own family, this leaves big dip hole of disappointed. How terrorist recruits the member by promising that they will give and provide them the basic needs, food, cigarette, and money. Many recruited members are also having no specific intention but a simple demand, money, and food. Therefore, the information and the report by any analyst or scholar and by the mainstream media should reconsider and reanalyze more. The false information and hoax that is being shared and informed by the people throughout the world needed to stop and demanding the institution to do something as compensation and repent for sharing the false information, hiding the truth, and insulting the army, government, and the state of Indonesia. The biased analysis by external actors makes the situation even worse. When the report and information are false, the outcome will be a nightmare as well. By this, hope this writing gives a different point of view and countered the hoax and false media, and pushing the resolution of the issue and output Papua in a better situation and condition.

3. Opponent’s Motives and it’s Means

The purpose of the armed criminal movement (KKB) and its brutal and condemned actions was partly triggered by dissatisfaction and the desire to break away from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). KKB claims the reason and background why the action is taken is to express their disappointment and dissatisfaction with the condition of exploitation of natural resources in Papua. At first, the KKB movement may have been a backlash or reaction against the development of a security approach in Papua. However, over time we can see that the actions developed by the KKB in Papua are starting to shift from their aim. Innocent civil society victims who continue to fall have proven that the KKB’s brutal actions are criminal acts labeled and wrapped in ideological goals. Instead of fighting and struggling for the sovereignty and welfare of the people, the practice carried out by the KKB in Papua is merely a movement that only fights for the needs and interests of a small group of bad people.

There is no other choice to be made. The TNI leadership’s instructions and orders to stop the KKB activities in Papua and arrest KKB members can no longer be ignored or postponed. To ensure that the safety of innocent local people is guaranteed to live in Indonesia and the safety of health workers should be maintained, there is no other way, firm action must be taken. The situation faced by the government must be acknowledged as not an easy and simple issue. In some cases, it even becomes a dilemma. We know that in the international world there are still criticisms or even accusations about the implementation of the security approach in Papua. But, on the other hand, we also cannot cover our eyes that the KKB movements that have emerged in Papua have far deviated from their idealsand performed many violations.

4. Attempts on Papua Building

Indonesian government under president Jokowi is putting so much attention and concern toward Papua. It can be seen that President Jokowi has visited Papua 14 times, 12 times in his first period of presidency, and twice in his second period of the presidency. This visit will be an indication and mark of the guarantee of quick and fast development of the building. With the passion and diligent work of the personality of president Jokowi, Papua became the fastest-growing region in the country. Building numbers of infrastructure is one of the very effective ways, to stabilize the region. All aspects of life such as society and the economy will be quickly growing with the growth of the infrastructure. Peace and stability hope will follow soon as well, with the presence of security in the region remains.

• Construction of the total roads with a total length of 3.462 km
• PON Stadium
• Implementation of “one price fuel”
• Est Palapa Ring Fibre Optic
• Creating Papua Youth Creative Hub
• The Sota Cross-Border Post (PLBN) in Merauke Regency Papua
• 10 airports, 6 are finished and the remaining are still under progress
• Recruiting 1000 Papua youth to be registered in state-owned enterprises. (kautsar.red)