By: Timothy Gobay
Soon Christians will celebrate Christmas and welcome the new year. People in Papua also rejoice in welcoming it. They hope that the situation will always be conducive, and that nothing will disrupt the peace on Earth of Paradise. The community continues to strive to maintain harmony between people.
Christmas and New Year are happy moments for people in Papua who adhere to Christianity and Catholicism. On solemn holidays, they get together as a family to worship at church, then go home and exchange gifts. Relatives and friends will come to wish you a merry Christmas and gather while enjoying a meal.
This peaceful situation needs to be maintained so that no one can damage it. Because the moments of Christmas and New Year are sometimes used by unscrupulous people to spread hoaxes. The goal is that people feel restless and eventually divisions arise between people and tribes. They were also invited to support separatist groups and leave allegiance to the Republic of Indonesia.
Separatist groups have made 14 December the Independence Day for Melanesia. The issue that arises ahead of Christmas can undermine the happiness of Papuan civilians and break their concentration in preparing for the holiday. The issue of SARA was highlighted, so that the people of Cendrawasih Earth turned pro-separatist.
Jan Christian Arebo, Chairperson of the Papua Indigenous Youth National Council, urged the people of Cendrawasih Earth, especially those in 5 customary areas, to maintain peace and conduciveness in Papua. There should be no more separatist groups that provoke citizens to commemorate this independence day.
In Papua, the original people come from the melanesian race. But that doesn’t mean they are people who adhere to chauvanism. People are aware that on Earth of Cendrawasih, there are various ethnic groups, races and religions. Because there are also immigrants from other islands who are not of the same race and have different beliefs.
Therefore, the appeal from the General Chairperson of the Papua Indigenous Youth National Council is indeed mandatory. The goal is that the atmosphere ahead of Christmas and New Year on Earth of Cendrawasih is always peaceful in harmony. Do not let there be divisions in the community, because they are consumed by hoaxes.
Papua Police Chief Inspector General Pol Paulus Waterpauw hopes that Christmas and New Year on Earth of Cendrawasih will take place in an orderly and full of wisdom. Hopefully this atmosphere will be maintained so that Papua will become a safe, peaceful, and peaceful region. It’s also a safe place for everyone. In that sense, both civilians and immigrants, feel happy living on Earth of Cendrawasih.
Inspector General Pol Paulus Waterpauw continued, the peaceful atmosphere in Cendrawasih Earth took place because the police were united in maintaining conducivity, from the Regional Police to the Polsek. So that all residents can feel safe to celebrate Christmas and welcome the new year. Because there is hard work from the police to maintain security in Papua.
People are encouraged to be compact and work together in maintaining peace in Papua. They can immediately report to the police station if there is an event that has the potential to cause riots, on Christmas holidays or New Year’s. So the chaos can be prevented, because civilians and police are united in maintaining peace in Papua.
Hopefully Christmas and New Year in Papua will always be safe, peaceful and harmonious. Civilians can enjoy the atmosphere of the holiday which is serene and full of love between family members. Nobody was provoked by the hoaxes created by the separatists. Because they always think positive and check the truth first.
(The author is a Papuan student living in Semarang)