By: Edward Krey)
Racist acts and persecution that sparked mass demonstrations have been used by separatists to voice referendums. This cunning strategy is unfortunate because the fact that Papua is a legitimate part of Indonesia and the government’s welfare improvement program continues to be optimized.
In 2001, around 80 percent of families in Papua still lived underdeveloped conditions in agriculture, economy, education, health and mastery of science and technology. At that time the prices of consumer goods in the city of Jayapura were 45 per cent higher than in Jakarta and far more expensive in remote areas. Even the price of fuel is also very much different from the fuel in Java.
Learning from this, finally the Government in the hands of President Jokowi, built various infrastructures for Papua such as the construction of roads, bridges and also uniformed fuel prices throughout Indonesia. Although threats from the separatist group have not ceased, development in Papua continues.
Of course it would not be wise if we accuse someone of evil just because of the color of their skin. If the non-Papuan Indonesian people mock the Papuan people as monkeys, then in fact they feel more noble as living creatures than Papuans. Of course this is a crime.
Former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Mahfud MD said that, the President of Indonesia from the Soekarno era to Joko Widodo always paid attention to the people of Papua and never considered Papua as a stepchild.
Mahfud even appreciated the steps of President Jokowi who had built infrastructure so that Papua would become more advanced. Jokowi even said that building Papua was not because they wanted to win the election, but because Papua was an inseparable part of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.
The public must return to history, so there is no longer a referendum behind the nuances of human rights. Ahead of Operation Trikora in Papua (1961 – 1962), President Soekarno made a speech opposing the so-called puppet state formed by the Dutch and called for the Indonesian people to prepare for general mobilization. He also stated that he would not resign before Papua (then under the auspices of the Netherlands) entered Indonesian territory.
History also records that President Soekarno announced he would prepare an operational command in charge of occupying West Papua with armed force.
The operation supported by the Mandala Command under the leadership of Suharto was successful. 13 years after – the Round Table Conference which one of the agenda negotiated the fate of Papua. Finally the Dutch softened and then Papua was called West Irian.
Certainly, the Indonesian government’s policy towards the status of Papua when viewed from international law is certainly final, that is, Papua and West Papua are part of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. Remember when the process of integration of international law into national law.
From this history, of course we know that Papua is something that must be fought for, and now all people from Sabang to Merauke must have the desire to maintain the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia by maintaining Papua, so there is no need for a referendum rumor.
Racial differences which according to separatist groups as one of their reasons for separating Melanesian races from the lap of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia, according to them are different from the Malay race, so they must be separated from Indonesia. Papua, in addition to that Melanesian Race is divided into dozens of countries in the southern Pacific. So that there is no special country for the Melanesian Race and there is no country in the world based on race as the Fascist ideology of Adolf Hitler before before World War II exploded.
Every society would want to live peacefully without any unrest, as an Indonesian citizen, the spirit of tolerance must be demonstrated, not merely selfishness.
We must also avoid the attitude of racism towards the people of Papua. This is certainly as our manifestation in practicing the values of Pancasila which have become the ideology of the Nation. There is no longer any expression of racialism like the term monkey for any citizen in Indonesia, because we are all fellow countrymen and homeland.
) * The writer is a Papuan student, living in Yogyakarta
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