Indonesian police have arrested Buchtar Tabuni, one of West Papua’s most important liberation leaders, along with three other United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) ministers, reports the movement in a statement.
“Indonesia are once again suppressing freedom of expression and assembly in West Papua, in an attempt to crush our spirit and commitment to our struggle,” said interim president Benny Wenda.
Buchtar Tabuni is chair of the West Papua Council, and a member of the ULMWP Council Committee. His arrest was confirmed by police.
He was arrested with Bazoka Logo, Minister of Political Affairs, and Iche Murib, Minister of Women’s and Children’s Affairs, said the statement.
The trio were arrested at Tabuni’s house in Jayapura, following an annual ULMWP meeting, and interrogated at a nearby police station.
“What is their crime? What possible justification can there be for this crackdown? This was after a peaceful meeting at a private residence,” the statement said.
Sharing information
The National Parliament of the ULMWP meets annually to share information on events in their regions and discuss the situation of the struggle.
“West Papuans have the right, under international law, to peacefully mobilise for our independence,” Wenda said.
He called on anybody concerned by the arrests to to express their disgust to the Jayapura police chief.
Wenda said the arrests were in breach of basic principles of international diplomacy and human rights.
Both the ULMWP and Indonesia are members of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, a regional political forum.
“We sit around the table together as equals. Imagine if British police arrested a Scottish parliamentarian following a peaceful meeting in their own home — there would be international outcry.
“This is the brutal reality of Indonesia’s colonial occupation.”
Tabuni targeted
The statement said this was not the first time Tabuni had been targeted by the Indonesian state.
Tabuni has spent much of his life behind bars, and was previously arrested and charged with treason for his involvement in anti-racism protests in 2020.
“This is political persecution: the harshness of Buchtar’s treatment is due only to his position as a respected leader of the independence struggle,” said Wenda.
“History tells us that there is no such thing as a fair trial for West Papuans in Indonesia. Victor Yeimo is still gravely ill in prison, where he has been held on spurious treason charges since May 2021.
“We urgently need the assistance of all international solidarity groups and NGOs — you must pressure your governments to help secure Mr Tabuni’s release, and all other West Papuan political prisoners.
Wenda said that the ULMWP demanded that Indonesia immediately release him with Bazoka Logo and Iche Murib.
Freedom ‘essential’
“Their freedom is essential in order to keep the peace,” he said.
According to Tabloid Jubi, Jayapura City police chief Senior Commander Victor D. Mackbon had confirmed that his office had arrested Buchtar Tabuni.
He said Tabuni was arrested to “clarify the activities” held at his home.
“Buchtar Tabuni’s arrival is to clarify his community gathering activities,” said Commander Mackbon.
Papuan women are increasingly aware that they have the same potential as men, including in terms of leadership.
Leadership does not discriminate gender, so as individuals, women can also act as leaders.
There are several people, who connect an individual's capability in leading with biological aspects attached to women, despite it not being all relevant nor being based on fact.
Every individual, be it man or women, has the same rights and opportunity to act as a leader.
To this end, it is time for Papuan women to fill the representation quota within the parliament by at least 30 percent.
According to speaker of the Biak Legislative Council (DPRD) Milka Rumaropen, the involvement of Papuan women in political institutions and the government continues to increase from time to time.
To provide broader participation to Papuan women, political parties are urged to recruit more than 30 percent of the provided quota.
One of the indicators of the increasing trend in women's representation can be seen during the result of the 2019 General Election.
As many political parties promote Papuan women to become candidates for the legislative branch, several women were chosen to become council members during the 2019 General Election.
For instance, in the Biak DPRD, the 2019 General Election's result placed four Papuan women as council members, out of which Milka Rumaropen and Deputy Speaker Aneta Kbarek were chosen to become DPRD speakers.
In line with the issuance of Law No. 2 of 2021 on Papua Special Autonomy, the electability for Papuan women becomes more open.
Potential
Cendrawasih University's academician Yohana Yembise stated that Papuan women should develop and not be constrained by intellectual darkness.
In the past, Papuan women were only allowed to clean houses, cook, sew, and take care of children at home. However, currently, they already enjoy the same education, health, and political rights as men.
Women's duties and responsibilities are not just to complement a household but also to determine the course of their nation and region's development.
To fight for their kind, women's representation in politics should be expanded by involving them in political organizations and allowing them to become a legislative member.
Women, who delve into politics, are still hampered by patriarchal background, culture, as well as gender difference that stems from the perception that women have weaknesses and disadvantages.
To this end, Papuan women should be given room and an opportunity to express their potential to actively participate in developing a prosperous, fair Papua that values tolerance.
Head of the Biak Family Prosperity Empowerment (PKK) Mobilizer Team Ruth Naomi Rumkabu stressed that the involvement of Papuan women becomes an absolute condition in the effort to realize egalitarian and fair development.
A country can never be prosperous if women are left behind, marginalized, and become spectators to regional development.
Thus, she urged all women in Numfor to collectively help the government's program in realizing gender equality.
Challenges
Papuan women still encounter several problems to align themselves with men in various fields.
Women in Papua are still behind in terms of the education, health, and economic fields as well as involvement in politics.
The other factor in the lack of women's representation in the political institution is the strong patriarchal culture that deems women to be weak and incapable.
Moreover, the leadership factor is closely related to the selection process in political parties. Selection for women legislative candidates is usually conducted by a small circle of party leadership, almost always dominated by men.
Another problem concerns the fact that Papuan women still lack confidence in their capability and competence.
Mass media plays an important role in developing public opinion on the importance of women representation in the parliament and government.
Meanwhile, the other issue that Papuan women face concerns limitation in financial resources.
When it comes to delving into politics, women cannot just rely on intellectual capability but they should also be supported by other capacities.
In practice, democracy in Papua does not allow discrimination or classification within society based on sex.
All Papuan citizens should be treated the same and fairly in the political, economic, and social sphere.
Article 55, point 2 of Law No. 10 of 2008 implements the zipper system that dictates at least one woman should be placed in any position.
The implementation of Law No. 2 of 2021 also provides special rights to Papuan women to be able to participate in the cultural institution, Papuan People's Council.
The existence of such special policies ensures that Papuan women receive access to the public sector, including in the political institution and the government.
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In a press release received here on Friday, Deputy V for security and human rights at the Presidential Staff Office Jaleswari Pramodhawardani remarked that these two approaches were the basis for the development in Papua that would progress continually.
Pramodhawardani expected that the Papuan regional government would follow up on the basis that had been established by pursuing relations and building a two-way communication pattern with the local communities.
In addition, the most important aspect was how public services and the fulfillment of community rights were prioritized, she remarked.
At every opportunity, President Jokowi emphasized that the current national development paradigm must be Indonesia-centric and not just Java- or Sumatra-centric, Pramowardhani stated.
She noted that since the start of his administration, Jokowi had committed to building an Indonesia-centric scenario, starting from Papua.
"Mr President visited Papua 15 times. That is important because the head of state sees it based on data and facts," she noted.
It was also said that Jokowi's infrastructure approach was conducted from the most basic aspects of education to medical services.
Since the first period of President Jokowi's administration until the second term with Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, the commitment to bring social justice to all Indonesian people, including Papua and West Papua, has been held close.
She said that the commitment was not mere rhetoric, but it was made true by the president through Presidential Instruction Number 9 of 2020 regarding the Development on Welfare in Papua and West Papua. This Presidential Instruction requires 43 ministries and institutions to participate in pushing the development of Papua.
"Hence, it is not just a commitment to visit that place, which has been done 15 times, but (also) through the issuance of supporting regulations that are all contained in the National Medium-Term Development Plan. In fact, specifically for Papua, it has become a National Priority Program," she added.
To facilitate the development of Papuan human resources, she stated that the government adopted a welfare approach over and above the security approach. Indigenous Papuans, with their affirmative policies, can be ensured fulfillment of rights that had yet to be optimal, including the cultural approach.
She then cited an example of HR development. In this case, the government does not only fulfill the rights to education, medical care, and so on, but also offered ongoing assistance on top of effective and efficient budget allocations.
"The decision to implement the National Sports Week in Papua until the one-price fuel oil policy can be successfully realized there. This is proof that the commitment that is carried out optimally will make Indonesia's national development come true," she remarked.
Deputy for government policy support and national insight at the Vice President Secretariat Velix Wanggai emphasized that the government has laid down the foundation for development in Papua for the subsequent two decades.
"This means that in the last eight years, the foundation has become important for us Papuan people. Later, this policy will be called the 2022-2041 Master Plan for the Acceleration of Papuan Development and will be a reference for the formulation of the National Medium-Term Development Plan and Regional Medium-Term Development Plan," Wanggai remarked.
Wanggai cited an example of the government's policy, in which they increased special autonomy funding by 2.25 percent from the national general allocation fund ceiling, would bring several positive changes in Papua, as well as strengthen communication between the central government and all regional governments over there, in order to encourage development in several aspects.
Through the Regional Autonomy policy, the government had proven that public services had grown inclusive of the community, thereby leading to Papua's economic growth, he stated. In terms of the cultural aspect, he opined that the government had applied a sound approach based on local wisdom and customs, he added.
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Chief of the representative office, Rommy Sariu Tamawiwy, handed over the tools, which comprised two cultivators or mini tractors, to the Dewe Makmur farmers’ group during the launch of the national food inflation control movement in the district on Friday.
The assistance is a part of the central bank's commitment to push the revival of the food movement in the district, Tamawiwy said.
If farmers are equipped with sufficient agricultural tools, they will be motivated to continue to grow crops, he explained.
If agricultural activities and food production run well, food inflation in Indonesia, particularly West Papua, can be kept under control, he added.
He said that if inflation is controlled, it will be the public who will enjoy the impact of low inflation.
Therefore, the responsibility of containing inflation by increasing food resilience rests not only with the government, but also with the public, he added.
Indonesia recorded 5.95-percent inflation year-on-year in September 2022.
Recently, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that the nation’s inflation rate is among the lowest in the world.
However, Indonesia could potentially record higher inflation than economic growth in the third quarter of 2022, he added.
“We have to prepare; our inflation will be slightly higher than the economic growth rate. Therefore, we must control administered prices of food, especially through food cooperation between regions," he said during the 2022 Central and Regional Coordination Meeting for Inflation Control, which was followed online last month.
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