The death of George Floyd in the United States has evinced global expressions of solidarity that have reminded people how racism still exists in the 21st century. Influenced by the hashtag #blacklivesmatter, Indonesian citizens have expressed support through their social media status and postings.
What about racism in Indonesia? Indonesians are very proud of the national motto “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (unity in diversity). Ironically, not everyone truly believes in the idea of respecting diversity in ethnicity, religion or race, or whatever differences, in daily life.
For example, many people do not know and do not care about the lives of people in eastern Indonesia. All they know is that dark-skinned people who are also part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) live there. How they live is not relevant.
Therefore, it is very interesting that #blacklivesmatter has triggered the birth of #papuanlivesmatter. This hashtag has opened the eyes of many to the fact that racism does not only occur in the US but has also been endemic for a long time in Indonesia. Papuans living in our easternmost regions are one example of those who have long experienced racism.
A lack of information transparency causes many people to be surprised when they discover such discrimination against Papuans. All this time, everything seemed to be going well. Even when riots or resistance occurs, generally Indonesians will think the unrest must be the result of a group of people who want to disrupt national stability or the country’s security. They must be crushed because the NKRI cannot be disturbed.
Indirectly these people have discriminated against Papuans. Without understanding the root of the problem, they are nevertheless easily influenced by the doctrine of blind nationalism that unconsciously ignores the lives of Papuans, who are so far away from the island of Java that they are largely unreachable. In short Papua just about registers as part of Indonesia but is considered unimportant.
I do not understand the complexity of the political problems in Papua but I want to share my personal experience as an intern doctor who served a year at the Wamena Regional Public Hospital in Jayawijaya (2015 to 2016). My experience gave me a vivid portrait of the daily problems of Papuans.
I thank the government for organizing an internship for fresh graduate doctors. Without it, I would never have known about the existence of Papua’s highland of Wamena, seven hours from Jakarta. At that time, Wamena only had one regional public hospital (type C) with a general surgeon, a pediatrist, an anesthesiologist, an obstetrician, an internist, a neurologist and a clinical pathology specialist. The hospital has a surgical theater, X-ray, and simple laboratory but no intensive care unit,
CT-scan or any of the other medical equipment found in big cities.
A frequent scene is a helicopter landing in the front yard of the hospital. Almost daily patients disembark, escorted by the Mission Aviation Fellowship. These patients come from villages or are just found in the thick of the forests. The patients’ conditions are very diverse, ranging from those who really need emergency treatment to those who only need general treatment.
Services are free of charge for all indigenous Papuans. No need for health insurance or an identity card as long as they are clearly regarded as Papuan from their physical appearance or name. It is also understandable if they do not know their date of birth as long as there is a name and place of residence to be recorded. But this does not mean the health services in Papua run smoothly yet.
Though medical services are free, the healthcare system is still lagging due to the lack of medical personnel, facilities and accessible infrastructure. Those who live in Papua have witnessed deaths because of delayed treatment. Bronchopneumonia (lung disease) which is rarely found in big cities is one of the main causes of death among toddlers in Papua.
I have a memory that I cannot forget. An 8-year-old boy was dying after his abdomen was ripped open by a hungry pig, leaving his intestines hanging out. When he arrived at the hospital, the surgeon was not present. It was a weekend. The surgeon usually went to Jayapura, the capital, and would return on Monday.
The scene remains vivid in my mind of the utterly calm child waiting for someone to replace the intestines back inside his abdominal cavity. He could only receive fluids and medicines through infusions. Exposed intestines can only be covered with wet gauze to prevent necrosis. I shuddered at the sight of a pink lump of intestine with its peristalsis piled on top of the kid’s stomach.
The boy did not scream. His family had the right to protest but they remained silent. His father, who sat at the bedside, offered a glass of water with a straw to the boy who finally exhaled his last breath before receiving further treatment. I imagine if this situation occurred in a big city the case would instantly go viral. Various hashtags would appear on social media, but for this family their voices were just too far away to be heard, drowned out by issues like blasphemy charges in Jakarta.
Over the years, conditions have not improved much. Though this year Indonesia will be 75 years old, proper health facilities may need another 20 to 30 years or more to reach our brothers and sisters in Papua. I have no idea.
From the depths of my heart, I really want to believe that one day, Pancasila and “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” will truly be lived by all Indonesian people without exception. I want to believe that it is only a matter of time.
There will be a time when the regional public hospitals in Papua and West Papua are equivalent in quality and quantity to other big cities. Patients who seek further treatment will no longer need to be referred to Jayapura or Makassar in South Sulawesi. Those who need emergency care will not need to die.
Before my last breath, I really hope I can witness real development for Papuans so I can be absolutely sure that there is no racism or discrimination against Papuans.
***
Intern at Wamena Regional Public Hospital, Jayawijaya, Papua (2015–2016), Flying Doctors coordinator of doctorSHARE NGO (2016-2017) and founder of Bakti Kasih Papua Foundation
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Two student organizations at the University of Indonesia (UI) have decided to file an amicus curiae – a brief offered by someone who is not party to a case – in support of seven Papuan activists on trial for treason for their involvement in the 2019 antiracism protests in Jayapura, Papua.
The brief was drafted jointly by the UI Student Executive Body (BEM UI) and the UI School of Law Student Executive Body (BEM FHUI).
Earlier this month, prosecutors at the Balikpapan district court in East Kalimantan demanded between five and 17 years of prison for the seven Papuan defendants for their participation in rallies in Jayapura. The protests were in response to a racial abuse incident targeting Papuan university students living in a dormitory in Surabaya, East Java.
The students in the dorm were attacked physically and verbally by security personnel – who reportedly called them “monkeys” – and members of mass organizations who accused the Papuans of refusing to celebrate Indonesia’s 74th Independence Day.
The responding protests in Jayapura started out peacefully but later turned violent and resulted in dozens of injuries and several buildings being damaged.
Read also: Human Rights Watch urges authorities to free Papuan activists on trial for 2019 protests
In a statement on Friday, the student body coalition argued that the treason charges were not appropriate and suggested that the authorities who were handling the case had racial biases against Papuans.
They added that the protests in Jayapura last year were not intended to harm the security and the sovereignty of the nation but instead were peaceful protests to respond to the racist acts in Surabaya.
“All of the perpetrators [of the Surabaya incident] have been held responsible with minimum charges. Meanwhile, prosecutors are seeking to imprison the Papuan [activists] for up to 17 years,” BEM UI and BEM FHUI argued in the statement.
They said the protests were a form of political expression guaranteed by the Constitution and other international human rights instruments under the freedom of speech and expression.
“Therefore, all of [the defendants] have to be freed of all charges, especially treason,” the student coalition said.
Read also: Racism: My experience as a doctor in Papua
BEM UI and BEM FHUI they had been holding public protests to express their view on the matter but had not encountered any issues. “Meanwhile, these Papuan activists were charged with treason for protesting,” they said. “This is a true manifestation of the racial bias that is happening in our law enforcement.”
The students hoped that the court would find that racial biases had influenced the law enforcement personnel who had handled the case.
“We also hope that our amicus brief will be considered discussion material for the judges to reach their verdict,” they said.
This amicus curiae – a Latin term meaning "friend of the court" – was not the first attempt by UI students to highlight what many consider persecution of Papuans for their political activism.
BEM UI recently held a public discussion on racism against Papuans in the legal system. However, the UI administration later issued a statement disavowing the event, saying the discussion did not “reflect the views and attitudes of UI as an institution”.
An alliance of UI lecturers subsequently expressed their support for the discussion and lauded BEM UI for organizing it because it fostered the spirit of free speech among university academics.
Read also: ‘#PapuanLivesMatter’: George Floyd’s death hits close to home in Indonesia
Although amicus briefs are more common in countries that use a common law system, there are also some precedents for the submission of such briefs in Indonesia, which uses a civil law system.
In 2013, for instance, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) filed an amicus curiae in an appeal of the verdict in a case regarding an attack in Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta.
Other parties have submitted similar briefs, including Indonesia Corruption Watch in the case of an acid attack on Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan and the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) in a blasphemy case involving then-Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.
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