Taha Al Hamid, the
secretary-general of the Papuan Council Presidium (PDP) called for the
establishment of a team to facilitate a dialogue between the central
government and Papua administrations.
Neles Tebay, the chairman
of the Papua Peace Network, pointed out the need to appoint figures with
credibility acclaimed by international peers and integrity trusted by
Papuan people.
“The team’s members should not necessarily be
those from government institutions, bureaucracy or the Papuan
Consultative Assembly (MRP). They must be figures with credibility and
integrity,” Neles said in Jayapura on Saturday.
The team is expected to draw up the format, aims and mechanisms of the dialogue.
“The
team will have to formulate what will be discussed in the dialogue.
They must be proactive in efforts to represent aspiration from Papua and
ensure Jakarta’s commitment,” Neles, who also serves as the rector of
the Fajar Timur philosophy school in Abepura, said.
During his
visit to the Indonesian Military Command Institute in Bandung on Friday,
President Yudhoyono said he would welcome any initiative for a dialogue
except those that intended to push for a referendum on independence.
“We
can engage in dialogue to achieve progress on development, people’s
welfare and justice. But there is no room for discussion about an
[independence] referendum or the like,” he said in response to a
question from a military cadet.
Neles said the president’s statement in Bandung augured well for dialogue on issues of development and social welfare.
“The
President’s statement shows that a dialogue will be very likely. We
have to appreciate the government’s open-handedness for any dialogue
sought by Papuans,” he added.
Taha said that the government should show its political willingness to engage in dialogue.
“The
mechanism of dialogue should be arranged, and only then should we talk
about the discussion points in the dialogue,” he said.
In a bid
to pursue accelerated development in the easternmost island, the
government granted special autonomy status in 2001 to Papua, which later
divided into the provinces of Papua and West Papua.
However, the
effectiveness of special autonomy status has since been criticized as
Papuans lag behind in many development areas and as deadly violence
continues to haunt everyday citizens.
Neles and Taha agreed that
the government should be seriousness in its inclination to participate
in a dialogue, in order to restore trust in the government among
Papuans.
Meanwhile, Indonesian human rights monitor Imparsial
lamented the president’s statement on the referendum issue. “Shutting
the door to a dialogue on a referendum is akin to shutting the door to
peace in Papua,” Imparsial’s Poengky Indarti said.
She said stigmatizing opposition groups as “separatists” had allowed the military to justify their repressive measures.