By: Serlina Wirer
The public is advised to continue to increase awareness of the existence of rumors and fake news or the spread of hoaxes on social media as a form of provocation by the Free Papua Organization (OPM) and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) which deliberately spread terror throughout the people of Bumi Cenderawasih.
They deliberately continue to spread terror so that all civil society in the area nicknamed Little Heaven Falls to Earth will experience endless fear so that they will have no other choice, namely whether they want to or not, they have to become OPM and ULMWP sympathizers.
This technique continues to be echoed by the separatist gang because so far that is all they can do. So attacks are not only attempted in the real world or physical friction, but also attempts at provocation and propaganda as well as brainwashing in cyberspace through the many hoaxes on social media.
Recently, there have been a lot of hoax narratives that OPM and ULMWP have been echoing on social media with the aim of continuing to attract people’s attention and show their existence, apart from that, it can also confuse people’s thinking, resulting in indirect brainwashing efforts.
They continue to echo various kinds of hoax narratives from various aspects, including one of which is stating that Papua is not part of the Indonesian Motherland. It is clear that this narrative is a provocation and propaganda of false or hoax issues, because even the whole world has acknowledged that Papua is an integral part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) which cannot be separated from this nation at all.
So the assumption that Papua is not part of Indonesia is just an attempt to find sympathizers so that a brainwashed public will join their ranks in realizing an independent Papua.
Instead of the public supporting the OPM, on the contrary, all the people in Papua themselves strongly reject the existence of these separatist gangs, including local traditional community leaders who very firmly admit that the existence of the OPM and ULMWP only destroys the Earth of Cenderawasih and alienates the Land of Papua. of progress.
Starting from traditional leaders, religious leaders to local youth leaders in Papua, they have very unitedly stated that they reject the existence of the Free Papua Organization. One of them is Yanto Eluay as a traditional figure from Kampung Sereh.
Not only do they strongly reject the existence of OPM and ULMWP, but the entire people of Bumi Cenderawasih also strongly disagree that there are still certain groups that have activities that are contrary to the government.
In fact, the existence of separatist and terrorist gangs in Papua has been part of the colonial propaganda efforts since 1963, which continued to want to pit the Papuan people who loved the Republic of Indonesia against the Indonesian government at that time.
The aim was only one, namely to facilitate the colonialists’ steps to completely control the Land of Papua during the occupation period. They proposed ways to encourage the Papuan people to demand independence so that the existing resources could be taken over by the Dutch.
Knowledge of the history of what actually happened is very important, especially for the younger generation of the nation’s successors in today’s digital era.
Nowadays, narratives are very easily formed by anyone on social media and via the internet, so you have to be extra careful when consuming any news in cyberspace.
The younger generation who are very familiar with social media must really be able to instill history as fully as possible into their heartstrings so that they do not easily become easy targets for OPM and ULMWP brainwashing and propaganda.
Because, it is in the hands of the younger generation that the future of the nation lies. So don’t let them fall for incitement or provocation by the hoax news that the Free Papua Organization creates via social media.
Once again, they continue to come and haunt them by spreading a series of terrible terror to various levels of society, not only physically with direct attacks, but now the OPM and ULMWP terror is through brainwashing propaganda with hoax narratives on social media.
For this reason, people must continue to instill extreme caution in their minds, including being a strong provision for the nation’s future young generation who are familiar with the digital world and social media on a daily basis.
Because social media has become a nesting place for many OPM and ULMWP hoax narratives, ranging from accusing the country, accusing the government to accusing the security forces. However, in reality that is not the case at all. Don’t be easily taken in by hoaxes that only add terror to civil society.
*) Law Student at Cenderawasih University (Uncen)