By: Timothy Gobay )*
Papua is an inseparable part of Indonesia. The Papuan people also support and appreciate the commitment of the Indonesian government which has been working hard in advancing Papua.
Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) is a special province because it only joined Indonesia in the 60s, after the Pepera (the determination of the people’s opinion). It is different from other provinces which were established in 1945. In addition, the presence of Papua at the eastern end also makes it a bit different because it has a different culture, but it is still one in Bhinneka Tunggal Ika.
In recent years Papua has continued to be in the spotlight for the international community, especially at the UN hearing forum. In the event there were other countries (in the archipelagic area) who suddenly attacked Indonesia. They considered Papua not a valid province and then spoke about the importance of a referendum.
Representatives of the Indonesian government at the United Nations certainly did not remain silent. They immediately argued that Papua would continue to advance within the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. In a sense, Papuan independence will never happen, because it is only a proposal from a handful of people aka OPM. They did not approve of the entry of Papua into Indonesia because they did not believe in the results of the Act of Free Choice.
In fact, the Papuan people themselves are very proud to be Indonesian citizens. They do not want to be invited to defect, either by the OPM or by persuasion from other countries. The reason is because at this time Papua is already prosperous with the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and they love Indonesia. Moreover, President Jokowi pays more attention to the people on Earth of Cendrawasih and continues the special autonomy program which is very useful for the prosperity of Papua.
Other countries that are pro-Papua referendum cannot dodge because according to international law, after the second world war, the former Dutch colony automatically became Indonesian territory. Whereas Papua was once colonized by the Dutch, so that it became a legal Indonesian territory according to international law. This fact must be presented so that other countries that demand a referendum do not ramble on again.
Countries that are cynical must see the fact that Papua is progressing with the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. There are no people who are below the poverty line, because everything has been fixed, both infrastructure and regulations regarding the economy and social. From the special autonomy alone, Papua’s progress has been seen, because there are capital loans for the mothers of Earth of Cendrawasih and they can trade for profit.
Currently Papua is not a wilderness but is very developed and has various strong infrastructures. For example, the Trans Papua Road, Youtefa Bridge, Sentani International Airport, and Lukas Enembe Stadium. All of this was built to facilitate the Papuan people and make their lives and mobility smoother.
The appointment of Papua as the host of the XX PON is also a marker of Papua’s progress. The committee, which is mostly natives of Earth of Cendrawasih, was able to organize a national-level event and it was a great success, as evidenced by the fact that there were no major obstacles during the competition. There were also no disturbances from KST or OPM which was a concern.
The government also acts fairly by appointing Papuan sons who excel as officials. There is Billy Mambrasar who is a special staff of the President of the Republic of Indonesia and this is very proud because he became an official at a young age. Other Papuan youths were inspired because Billy showed that Papuans were intelligent and capable of becoming officials.
Papua continues to advance within the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and this cannot be contested by other countries. Even though they attacked Indonesia in international forums, government representatives immediately dismissed their arguments. Papua is a legal part of Indonesia and the people are proud to be Indonesian citizens.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Gorontalo
