2) Papua and ‘independent, active’ foreign policy
3) Biak Numfor's students urged not to join exodus: district govt
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1) Indonesia slams door on West Papua independence referendum
Published: | Modified:
Indonesia has told the United Nations that it has no intention of giving in to the demands of protesters for a referendum to be held in its troubled province of West Papua.
According to a report in CNN Indonesia, Indonesian Ambassador to the UN Hasan Kleib said this during a public debate in Geneva, Switzerland.
"Regarding the issue of the aspirations of the referendum, ambassador Hasan confirmed that the referendum had been held in 1969 and the results were validated through the UN General Assembly Resolution No 2504/1969 which was final," the Indonesian High Representative's press release in Geneva quoted last Friday.
Opponents of Indonesia's rule over West Papua claimed that the referendum was conducted in an atmosphere of intimidation with just over 1,000 tribal chiefs selected and instructed to vote for West Papua to join Indonesia.
"In accordance with international law, the referendum has been legally carried out and final, and therefore it is never possible anywhere to be repeated " said Hasan who made this statement while fielding a question from Twitter during a public debate for potential member states of the UN Human Rights Council.
He was also asked questions about the guarantee of freedom of opinion and assembly in Papua, especially after the incident of racism that triggered a massive demonstration on Indonesia's easternmost island.
Hasan claimed that the demonstrations led to anarchy and were overcome by security forces without using any violence.
This contrasts sharply with reports smuggled out of the troubled province.
West Papuan activists said the Indonesian military is carrying out acts of violence and terror against an innocent and unarmed population.
They claim that in an alleged attempt to cover up its actions, Jakarta has expelled foreign journalists from its provinces of Papua and West Papua, continuing a long history of isolating the region from the outside world.
It also imposed an internet blackout on the region.
Activists were calling for a referendum on Papuan independence and an end to the racist treatment of Papuans by Jakarta.
They also released photos which allegedly showed the Indonesian military pursuing a scorched-earth policy, burning down houses in the villages of Gome district in Kabupaten Puncak in Papua.
According to Reuters, the Indonesian authorities have arrested 85 protesters, and at least four people are dead since unrest erupted on Aug 17.
The protests concern perceived racial and ethnic discrimination, spread over two weeks in a string of Papuan towns.
Papua and West Papua provinces, the resource-rich western part of the island of New Guinea, were formerly a Dutch colony that was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticised 1969 referendum backed by the United Nations.
This year is the 50th anniversary of that vote.
On Sept 5, UN Human Rights Commissioner Michele Bachelet urged Indonesian authorities to engage in dialogue with West Papuans about their aspirations.
On Sept 11, thousands of Papua New Guineans marched through its capital Port Moresby in solidarity with their West Papuan neighbours.
The protests were led by two prominent PNG political leaders - the national capital governor, Powes Parkop, and Oro province's governor, Gary Juffa.
Indonesia has turned a deaf ear to such claims with National Police Chief Gen Tito Karnavian naming West Papuan activist Benny Wenda as the instigator behind the demonstrations and riots in Papua and West Papua, while Indonesian Special Forces counter-terrorism squad Densus 88 claimed that the Papuans are being influenced by the Islamic State terrorists.
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2) Papua and ‘independent, active’ foreign policy
Mangadar Situmorang and Inez Ignatzia Bandung / Mon, September 16 2019 / 01:27 am
The date of Sept. 2, 1948 is perceived as the origin of Indonesia’s foreign policy principle bebas dan aktif (independent and active). It was coined in the speech of then-vice president Mohammad Hatta before a heated meeting of the Central National Committee of Indonesia (KNIP), underlining newly independent Indonesia’s choice of being neither pro-Soviet nor pro-America in the bipolar world.
In the pursuit of national ideals, Hatta contended, “The government is of the opinion that the position to be taken is that Indonesia should not be a passive party in the arena of international politics but that it should be an active agent entitled to determine its own standpoint with the right to fight for its own goal.”
Indonesian foreign policy was not only influenced by the bipolarity that led to the rise of a Cold War system. Its independent and active international outlook was also determined by domestic political contest. The push and pull factors were considered so that the independent and active principles gave Indonesia international gains and domestic settlement.
At that time, Indonesian diplomacy was intended to win international recognition of its independence and sovereignty, including over Papua. It turns out the issue of Indonesia’s sovereignty over Papua remains a challenge.
Widely accepted as a legal condition for every player or actor in the global field, international recognition is sought after and maintained by state governments and nonstates entities. That Papuan independence campaigner Benny Wenda and its United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and scattered affiliated fronts fight for international recognition is therefore understandable.
However, the government’s fear about its sovereignty being undermined by different groups of people who show deep concern and sympathy to the Papuans will only be considered a show of inconfidence and immaturity.
History proves Indonesia has successfully secured international recognition in difficult times. Leaders of newly born Indonesia went through a set of exhausting and frustrating negotiations with many countries such as the United States, Soviet Union, Australia, India and Arab states, the United Nations and finally the Netherlands, to gain recognition.
Indonesian negotiators had to seek compromise that disappointed many domestic political forces.
Sukarno, Hatta, Sjahrir, just to name a few founding fathers, did well to convince international powers that we had an effective government with the capacity needed to rule the whole territory previously under the Dutch colonial administration, organize and control the armed forces and implement a democratic political system.
That Sukarno afterward broke the consensus of the negotiations proved the tactical and pragmatic approach to dealing with big powers in which the bebas aktif principle has its own rationality.
Soeharto’s New Order era demonstrates similar exercises. Facing economic hardship and domestic political fragmentation, Soeharto’s economic ministers managed to seek foreign help. It was clearly argued that for the country to be stable and united, economic development should top the priority in which international assistance and investment, mostly from the US and Western countries, was the very basic condition. Bebas aktif, again, justified such an international stance.
When the economy gradually developed, demands for political freedom and democracy rose. It was only the coincidence of economic crisis and failure to meet the demands for democracy that forced Soeharto to step down after 32 years in power and ushered the country into a new era of reform.
Our domestic politics always comes under international scrutiny. Therefore, as we are facing demands for a self-determination referendum from some of the people in Papua, we have to respond in a proportional and positive manner.
We have to acknowledge first of all that those people have not only rights that are universally accepted, but also capacity to call for international attention and recognition. At the same time, we have to be firm that we are in the same and the only one nation-state of Indonesia. In this regards, the racial abuse and discrimination Papuan students and people have endured on top of social and economic injustice are our collective problems as a nation.
Putting pressure on our diplomats to deal with the problems in Papua is not a solution. Rather, it might exacerbate the problem. Although the conventional wisdom says diplomats are sent abroad to tell lies, in the midst of open, online and massive flows of information, our representatives will be heard only if they work based on data, facts and strong arguments.
And the other side of any diplomatic mission is to bring home responses and views of international communities and to capitalize on them for national interests. In other words, Indonesian diplomats have to share the same voices about domestic politics and policies.
When the international community shows deep concern about Papua, our ambassadors and citizens overseas need to loudly warn the government in Jakarta and in Papua, including the security forces, to act effectively and democratically in maintaining peace and stability in the easternmost region.
It is then fair to say that instead of blaming Wenda and his ULMWP or other individuals and human rights groups advocating equal and indiscriminative governance in Papua, it is much better for the government to work to capitalize on international support and sympathy. We need it to restore peace and advance democracy and development in the region.
The principle bebas aktif remains relevant and runs well in all situations and contexts. It is, however, only significant and meaningful when we show appreciation to international concerns and support, and at the same time make substantial progress in managing our own nation.
Failure to implement bebas aktif internally and externally will only put our sovereignty under a constant question.
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Mangadar Situmorang is a senior lecturer and Inez Ignatzia is a student of international relations at Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung.
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3) Biak Numfor's students urged not to join exodus: district govt
10 hours ago
Biak, Papua (ANTARA) - The Biak Numfor District Government has urged its students currently studying at various universities on the islands of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Maluku not to get provoked by misleading issues.
"Instead, all students from Biak must remain focus on their endeavors to finish their studies," First Assistant of the Biak Numfor District Government Friets G.Senandi said here on Sunday regarding the official letter of the district's head, Herry Ario Naap.
Referring to the letter number 100/247 dated on September 12, 2019, Senandi said any student from Biak Numfor who get provoked by the calls for returning home would not be guaranteed to be admitted at universities in Papua Province.
The district government, as revealed in Herry Ario Naap's letter, would neither allocate a budget used for sending them back to the cities where the universities that have received them are located, he said.
The central government has actually guaranteed their safety and security in the cities where they reside while pursuing their study at the local universities, Senandi said.
An exodus of native Papuan students currently studying in various reputable universities outside Papua and West Papua has become a problem that both regional governments in the two provinces and central government should resolve in the aftermath of violent protests against the Surabaya incident that occurred in August.
Related news: Nearly 700 native Papuan students return home
Some 700 native Papuan students recently returned home despite the guarantees by every provincial police chief for the safety and security of all indigenous Papuan students currently studying outside their hometowns.
A majority of the returnees were previously studying in Manado, North Sulawesi Province, according to Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf Rodja.
Rodja regretted the decisions of the returnees, saying that the national police chief had ordered all regional police chiefs to guarantee the safety of the students so that they could direct their undivided attention to completing their studies.
In response to the exodus of some 700 native Papuan students, the central government has encouraged them to return to the cities or towns where they are studying.
The Indonesian military commander has even kept on standby two units of Hercules C-130 aircraft for transporting the returnees from Papua and West Papua to the provinces where they are studying.
The exodus has stopped, and the government is keen to send them back to their universities, according to Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto.
Educating the indigenous Papuan students at various prestigious universities outside their homeland is important because they will receive good quality higher education and make friends with their peers from different socio-cultural backgrounds.
Related news: Komnas HAM urges Jokowi to hold dialog in Papua
Related news: Hearts, minds approach instrumental in tackling Papuan issues: speaker
"Instead, all students from Biak must remain focus on their endeavors to finish their studies," First Assistant of the Biak Numfor District Government Friets G.Senandi said here on Sunday regarding the official letter of the district's head, Herry Ario Naap.
Referring to the letter number 100/247 dated on September 12, 2019, Senandi said any student from Biak Numfor who get provoked by the calls for returning home would not be guaranteed to be admitted at universities in Papua Province.
The district government, as revealed in Herry Ario Naap's letter, would neither allocate a budget used for sending them back to the cities where the universities that have received them are located, he said.
The central government has actually guaranteed their safety and security in the cities where they reside while pursuing their study at the local universities, Senandi said.
An exodus of native Papuan students currently studying in various reputable universities outside Papua and West Papua has become a problem that both regional governments in the two provinces and central government should resolve in the aftermath of violent protests against the Surabaya incident that occurred in August.
Related news: Nearly 700 native Papuan students return home
Some 700 native Papuan students recently returned home despite the guarantees by every provincial police chief for the safety and security of all indigenous Papuan students currently studying outside their hometowns.
A majority of the returnees were previously studying in Manado, North Sulawesi Province, according to Papua Police Chief Inspector General Rudolf Rodja.
Rodja regretted the decisions of the returnees, saying that the national police chief had ordered all regional police chiefs to guarantee the safety of the students so that they could direct their undivided attention to completing their studies.
In response to the exodus of some 700 native Papuan students, the central government has encouraged them to return to the cities or towns where they are studying.
The Indonesian military commander has even kept on standby two units of Hercules C-130 aircraft for transporting the returnees from Papua and West Papua to the provinces where they are studying.
The exodus has stopped, and the government is keen to send them back to their universities, according to Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto.
Educating the indigenous Papuan students at various prestigious universities outside their homeland is important because they will receive good quality higher education and make friends with their peers from different socio-cultural backgrounds.
Related news: Komnas HAM urges Jokowi to hold dialog in Papua
Related news: Hearts, minds approach instrumental in tackling Papuan issues: speaker
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