The Papuan people have unanimously rejected provocations and calls for demonstrations by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) regarding the August 15 New York Agreement. The entire younger generation should take part in various positive activities and learn a lot so that they are able to focus on developing their area by increasing the welfare of their people.
The son of a fighter for the 1945 Red and White Movement (GMP), Herman Yoku asked all certain groups to immediately stop provoking the public regarding their rejection of the New York Agreement. This follows the emergence of a circular containing a call for action to be carried out by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) on the upcoming 15 August 2023 and which has been widely circulated on messaging applications.
Very emphatically, he appealed to the group that was trying to provoke the community to stop because they felt they did not know the truth at all and also the history of the New York Agreement itself. Apart from that, the existence of a certain group that carried out the provocation attempt was also considered to be very deceptive to the wider community, so that the people in Bumi Cenderawasih should not again become victims of fraud that the Dutch had also done to them in the past.
Herman Yoku himself is someone who was born during the Dutch colonial era at that time in Papua, so he knows exactly how it peaked in 1963 at that time when the Dutch carried out attacks very intensively so that in the end an agreement called the New York Agreement was born. So don’t let certain parties who are completely irresponsible actually distort the facts.
Furthermore, the KNPB should have stopped all plans for mass mobilization in Jayapura City as soon as possible. The reason is, when this is still being done, then of course they will be directly confronted with the laws in force in this country, especially when the mass action that is being carried out is aimed at going against the state and will certainly also disrupt public order in society and also disrupt conduciveness.
In fact, it would be much better if on August 15 2023 it was carried out by the community as an effort in a series of activities to commemorate the 78th Anniversary of the Independence of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and as an effort to realize a form of appreciation for the services of the founders former nation.
In fact, related to the problem of the New York Agreement itself, there has even been a solution for a long time, namely with the birth and formation of West Irian Autonomy as also stipulated in the Autonomous Act (UU) Number 12 of 1969. The existence of this provision is the first autonomy granted directly to the people of Papua and at the same time be able to become a legal and final solution.
Therefore, especially the younger generation in Bumi Cenderawasih, they should also be much more focused on managing their own future in various fields such as education and development because this will be able to advance their hometown as well.
With a high level of education and enthusiasm for learning from the next generation of young people in the easternmost province of the country, they will have a very high chance of becoming successful people and able to build their villages and lead their regions.
There is absolutely no need for commotion to occur, especially when there is an attempt to act of provocation by bringing in a number of masses as was done by KNPB, especially if the commotion was carried out in someone else’s area and the commotion was over someone else’s customary land. Moreover, they themselves also do not understand or do not know the history of the New York Agreement itself.
In welcoming the 78th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia, all people in Papua and in general in Indonesia must be able to celebrate it together, one of which is by continuing to maintain peace and order in society without being provoked by provocation.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Kolong Children’s Front (BARAK) Makassar City, Syarifuddin also conveyed a message to the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP and all their supporters not to use the commemoration of the New York Agreement on August 15, instead to carry out demonstrations or demonstrations and other activities aimed at to discredit the Indonesian government, let alone to then ask for a referendum for Papuan independence.
The reason is that the New York Agreement in 1962 itself was already the right step to be able to move forward in efforts to resolve disputes that occurred between Indonesia and the Netherlands related to Papua and had been handled directly by the United Nations through UNTEA to be able to avoid conflicts that were feared to be more big and wide.
Instead of joining a movement or mass action that is completely unclear and full of provocations and shows a lack of understanding of this history, it is certain that the younger generation will be better able to continue to focus and study so that they are able to develop their region and help improve the welfare of their society. The provocation regarding the August 15 New York Agreement should be stopped right now.
