Defying warnings from Jakarta, the week-long Papuan People's Congress ended on June 4 with a declaration that West Papua was no longer part of the Republic of Indonesia. The congress was extended for a day because of debates over the wording of the declaration; there were fears an outright declaration of independence would antagonise Jakarta.
The congress, held in the West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) provincial capital of Jayapura, was attended by some 2700 participants from 14 districts. It was convened by the West Papuan Council, which includes Free Papua Movement (OPM) members and members of the Forum for Reconciliation drawn from churches, universities, traditional leaders and other organisations. More than 20,000 people observed the proceedings.
The declaration's final wording stated that West Papua's incorporation into Indonesia in 1969 was invalid and that the province had attained independence from the Netherlands on December 1, 1961. The 501 elected representatives voted unanimously for the declaration.
While shying away from using the term transitional government, the congress announced the formation of an independent government and a 31-member executive to represent West Papua. The executive plans to establish an electoral commission and boundaries, appoint diplomats, draft a constitution and establish a foreign affairs department. It named a tribal chief, Theys Eluay, as chairperson of the Papuan People's Presidium and Tom Beanal as deputy chairperson.
John Otto Ondawame, a member of the West Papuan Council's presidium and the OPM's international representative, told Green Left Weekly that the congress debated strategies for achieving independence, including the importance of armed and political struggle, alliances with the Indonesian democratic movement and other liberation movements in the Indonesian archipelago.
West Papua achieved independence from the Netherlands in 1961. By 1963, the Indonesian military under President Sukarno had annexed the province. In 1969, a United Nations-supervised Act of Free Choice incorporated West Papua into Indonesia.
Papuan People's Congress secretary-general Thaha Alhamid told the June 5 Jakarta Post that the 1969 plebiscite was attended by just 1025 tribal leaders who voted for integration because of intimidation, pressure and killings. We call on the United Nations to revoke resolution No. 2504,19/12,1969, he said.
The congress also called for crimes against humanity in the province to be investigated and for those involved brought to justice.
Jakarta reacts
Jakarta immediately rejected the congress declaration, described the meeting as invalid and its declaration illegal. According to the June 6 South China Morning Post, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid claimed that anti-independence voices had been excluded from the meeting, that organisers had also broken their word by allowing Westerners to take part and that the government does not recognise this congress.Indonesian justice minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra warned that the congress was tending towards a breach of the law, because it involves national sovereignty.
Wahid is under considerable political pressure because his government provided more than A$172,000 to fund the congress. He had planned to open the congress but pulled out at the last minute.
The June 6 Sydney Morning Herald said that Wahid claimed that the majority of West Papuans obviously want to stay with Indonesia. West Papuan leaders rejected the claim. Only 0.01% of Papuans want to remain in Indonesia, while 99.9% want independence, Herman Awom, a member of the congress presidium, said.
Clemens Runaweri, who was elected West Papua's foreign minister, said that, Whilst the congress is not a perfect democracy, the people were selected by their own communities from the 14 regions throughout West Papua with further international West Papuan representatives. Beanal added that was nobody at the congress who opposed independence and nobody was excluded.
'Like East Timor'
Beanal told the June 6 South China Morning Post that Jakarta is trying to form pro-integration and pro-independence camps like in East Timor ... Indonesia should be ashamed that they made East Timorese kill each other. They want to make Papuans kill each other. They must know what they are doing.Indonesian troop numbers in the province have been bolstered in the past few months from 8000 to more than 12,000. Jakarta is believed to have been funding an East Timor-style pro-integration militia for some time. The pro-Indonesia militia is a clandestine organisation with links to Indonesian authorities through the provincial government. Researchers have estimated the militia's strength at between 5000 and 10,000.
Wahid's initial reaction was to warn of a military crackdown. According to the June 6 Sydney Morning Herald, Wahid said that, if necessary, Indonesian police and military would act to secure the vast, resource-rich province.
Wahid later softened his stance when quoted by Agence France-Presse on June 8 warning the military against violence. We must not act as we did in the past. Our soldiers were sent to Aceh and they attacked the people ... Soldiers must be polite. I do not believe the people are the enemy, he said.
On June 7, cabinet secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak warned that any action to win independence would amount to treason and would invite repressive measures by security forces.
Simanjuntak's threats became reality on June 13 when, according the June 14 Indonesian Observer, police charged Eluay and AlHamid with treason. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Jakarta also accused Australian non government organisations of undermining the territorial integrity of Indonesia. Wahid said that, while he hoped to visit Australia soon, many people in Indonesia object because there were certain Australians who have aided the declaration of independence by the Papuan people.
President Wahid has agreed to meet representatives of the West Papuan people on June 26.
West Papua's huge mineral resources include the world's second largest copper mine, the Freeport mine. It also contains huge gold and silver deposits.
Freeport, part-owned by Anglo-Australian multinational Rio Tinto, is estimated to contribute up to 20% Indonesia's tax revenue and makes profits in excess of US$1 million a day. Only 4% of its employees are West Papuan. The Freeport mine dumps millions of tonnes of toxic tailings into the nearby Otomona-Ajkwa river system each year. The Indonesian military has committed gross human rights violations in its efforts to defend Freeport from the local people.
West backs Jakarta
The United States quickly rejected the Papuan People's Congress declaration. On June 5, the US embassy in Jakarta, which sent an observer to the congress in line with standard diplomatic practice, declared that Washington did not support independence for Papua or any other part of Indonesia. US President Bill Clinton repeated this during a meeting with Wahid in Washington on June 14.On June 8, the European Union also stated support for Indonesia's territorial integrity: The EU has repeatedly stressed its support for a strong, democratic, united and prosperous Indonesia. It has also stressed its support for Indonesia's territorial integrity, and for efforts of the current Indonesian government to solve problems, such as Aceh and Irian Jaya, through peaceful negotiation.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard immediately threw Australia's support behind Jakarta when he met with Wahid in Tokyo on June 9. Any suggestions anywhere that Australia supports the Papuan independence movements is wrong ... I don't think Papua is a problem between our two countries. It isn't and it won't be, Howard said.
Japan has opposed the breakaway of West Papua. The congress did, however, receive support from several leading figures from neighbouring Papua New Guinea.
The fact that all three major economic blocs have moved so quickly to support Jakarta is hardly surprising. The US and Britain played a significant role in ensuring that the UN decision to accept the results of 1969 plebiscite. Then as now, foreign capital knows that continued exploitation of the province's massive natural resources could be jeopardised by an independent West Papua.
In an attempt to appease the West Papuans, Indonesian minister of human rights affairs Hasballah M. Saad on June 10 announced the establishment of a special team to probe humanitarian crimes in West Papua. He said the team would cooperate with local non-government organisations and human rights organisations but admitted that it could be a tough task to prove past crimes. He also stressed that the investigation could not be concluded overnight.
Alhamid expressed West Papuans' distrust by noting that Jakarta had launched several investigations before without any concrete results. Several times members of Komnas Ham [National Commission on Human Rights] visited Irian Jaya and gave a dozen recommendations. But the reports were never followed up. So it is simply time-wasting, money wasting, he said.
The OPM is continuing its guerilla struggle. Ondawame told Green Left Weekly, In the short term we need a cease-fire and talks, but if this fails [we will] put all our efforts into regionalising and internationalising the issue. He called for solidarity from Australians: We need to expose the militia activities in the mass media, put pressure on the Howard government to stop military aid to Indonesia, and mobilise mass protests when President Wahid visits Australia in July.
Broad support for independence
The OPM has been waging a low-scale guerrilla war since West Papua's annexation by Indonesia. Like Indonesia's northern-most province of Aceh, separatist demands have been fueled by a combination of human rights abuses by the Indonesian military, economic inequity between Indonesian migrants and the indigenous people, and exploitation of the province's massive natural resources.Before Indonesia won its independence in 1949, the Dutch authorities had promised the West Papua independence. From the 1980s, pro-independence flag-raising ceremonies have become common. The Indonesian military has responded violently to pro-independence actions, with scores being killed or wounded over the last few years.
Considering the wide spectrum of West Papuan society represented at the Papuan People's Congress and the consensus reached on the congress declaration, the gathering is solid evidence that there is genuine, broad and popular support for West Papua to break free from Indonesia.
BY JAMES BALOWSKI