By: Saby Kossay )*
The side event of the High Level Conference (G20 Summit) namely Women of Twenty (W20) was held in West Papua. The public appreciates the implementation of this international event because it shows that Papua is an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia.
Indonesia’s presidency at the G20 Summit in 2022 made this event to be held in this country. If the G20 is held in DKI Jakarta, the side event, W20, will take place in the province of West Papua. The committee and local government immediately moved quickly to make this event run smoothly.
When West Papua was appointed as the venue for the W20, it showed that Papua was an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia. Papua is an official territory of Indonesia and making it a place for international forums is a way to show in the eyes of the international community that the skills of the people there are also recognized.
As the easternmost regions in Indonesia, Papua and West Papua are indeed prone to interference from KST (separatist and terrorist groups). They want to defect and establish a federal republic of West Papua. The reason is that the results of the popular opinion determination decades ago were invalid, which showed that the majority of the people wanted to join Indonesia.
Whereas according to international law, all regions in the archipelago that were former Dutch colonies automatically become part of Indonesia, including Papua (formerly Irian Jaya). If according to this law, it is clear that the provinces of Papua and West Papua are legal and have high legality, and cannot be contested by anyone, including KST.
The W20 committee, which are mostly OAP (indigenous Papuans) feel proud because they are part of an international event. If West Papua becomes the site of this international forum, it shows that the government places great trust in them. Previously there, it was appointed to host PON XX 2020.
In addition, if the W20 Summit is held in West Papua then it shows that they are an official part of Indonesia. The people of Bumi Cendrawasih are proud to be Indonesian citizens and have a high sense of nationalism. They feel that the government has cared for them because they were appointed to the organizing committee of a world-class forum, meaning that there is high trust in Papuan civilians.
The members of the W20 are the wives of the heads of state of the G20 members. In addition, this forum will also be attended by representatives from ASEAN and Asia Pacific countries, as well as archipelagic countries. If the W20 is held in West Papua, it shows them that Papua is an official territory and cannot be separated from Indonesia, the proof is that it is appointed as the host.
The appointment of West Papua as the location for the W20 Summit has been planned, because the guests who will come are representatives of archipelagic countries around Indonesia. One of them once opposed the Indonesian delegation and argued about Papuan independence. With the appointment of West Papua as the location of the W20, of course they will be ashamed and aware that the people on Earth of Cendrawasih do not approve of the defection.
The Papuan people have never planned on secession and they fully support the W20 Summit. That way, delegations from archipelagic countries and W20 members will see with their own eyes. How the people of Papua enjoy life when they are Indonesian citizens and separation is only an issue from a small number of people.
The W20 event is a big proof that Papua is an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia. The proof is that the government trusts the Papuan people as the organizing committee and they try to be friendly hosts. The international community will see how harmonious relations between Papua and the central government are.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Yogyakarta