Indonesian president looks at West Papua dialogue
From Dateline Pacific, 3:02 pm today
There are signs of a significant peace dialogue opening up between Indonesia's government and West Papuans.
Various Papuan civil society, church and customary leaders met with Indonesia's president Joko Widodo last month about establishing dialogue over problems in Papua.
Terms of reference for the dialogue are yet to be confirmed, but Jakarta is reluctant to have talks with the United Liberation Movement for West Papua which broadly represents the indigenous people of Indonesia's Papua region.
One of the participants at the meeting was Yan Christian Warinussy of the Papua-based Institute of Research, Investigation and Development of Legal Aid.
He told Johnny Blades that the Papuans asked the president to recommend a mediator for the dialogue.
TRANSCRIPT
YAN CHRISTIAN WARINUSSY: And then Jokowi asked how about Father Neles Tebay (Catholic priest and coordinator of the Papua Peace Network)? And we agreed. Now he is like a special envoy, or the person in charge to host the dialogue.
JOHNNY BLADES: What is the dialogue going to be about?
YCW: I asked Jokowi (President Joko Widodo) and his government (if) they can make problem solving to human rights violations in West Papua. But I think the Indonesian government like to make not special dialogue between Jakarta and West Papua about the human rights or military abuses, but they like to make "sectoral" dialogue, like economic development, like infrastructure, you know... But I think the Indonesian government does not like to make peaceful dialogue with the ULMWP (the United Liberation Movement for West Papua).
JB: Jakarta, is it willing to discuss the political status of Papua, or not?
YCW: I think not.
JB: And you're also saying that Jakarta does not want to have discussion with the ULMWP?
YCW: Yeah.
JB: Doesn't the ULMWP broadly represent West Papuans? We know that in the Melanesian Spearhead Group and other fora, that the ULMWP is recognised by the international community?
YCW: Yeah I think the ULMWP already stands by human rights, and stands by self-determination. They (ULMWP) not like to make dialogue about development, economic development, social, cultural development and also infrastructure. But they'd like dialogue with Indonesia about self-determination and about human rights.So I think these are the different issues that the ULMWP like and the Indonesian government like.
JB: What is the next step? Will this dialogue still happen, even without the ULMWP?
YCW: I don't know. Because after we meet with Jokowi three weeks ago, we not see what next step to take the peaceful dialogue (forward) after we talked with Jokowi. That is the problem, I think.
JB: What do people in Papua and West Papua provinces want?
YCW: The majority of the people in West Papua, they'd like to get independence. They not like to discuss another topic from independence and self-determination.
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