2) ‘Never sell land’: New Jayapura Bishop Yanuarius Matopai You
3) Papua has its first Indigenous Papuan bishop, a 128-year wait
1) Delegation eager to know Vanuatu stand on West Papua Application
By Len Garae Feb 3, 2023
A West Papua Delegation led by United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) Interim President, Benny Wenda, West Papua Interim Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Morris Kaloran, Head of Mission Freddy Warome, President of Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, Job Dalesa and Vango representative, Lai Sakita, have held discussions with the Leader of Opposition, Bob Loughman, on the ULMWP Application to Vanuatu as the Chairman of Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), to ensure that the application is approved by MSG for full membership in its meeting in Port Vila this year.
While Vanuatu has been the focal point for West Papua freedom for at least 42 years, the delegation is concerned that there is total silence from the current Ishmael Kalsakau Government on the issue.
Meanwhile, Interim Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Kaloran confirmed that the Interim President of ULMWP is expected to travel to Fiji soon, to lobby Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka for his Government’s support for West Papua full membership of MSG.
Kaloran says it is a normal question to ask for Vanuatu’s stand on the issue.
For this reason, the delegation would appreciate a clear indication on the Government’s stand on West Papua before the Interim President of ULMWP leaves for Fiji.
Following its meeting with the Leader of Opposition, Bob Loughman two days ago, the delegation left Parliament House Conference Room with confidence that a way might be found before the Acting President leaves for Fiji.
The delegation has also paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Parliament, Seoule Simeon.
Jayapura, Jubi – The Bishop of Jayapura Diocese, Msgr. Yanuarius Theofilus Maatopai You has asked all Catholics in his region to never sell their land to anyone for any purpose.
“On the first day I was ordained as Bishop of Jayapura, I asked all Catholics and Indigenous Papuans to never sell land. Live from the products of the land,” said the Bishop who was also known as Bishop Yan You during his speech at the reception at Mandala Jayapura stadium on Thursday, (2/2/2023).
Maatopai said this action was to save the future generations. He said he would check in each Parish in the four Decenates of Jayapura, Keerom, Wamena and Bintang Mountains.
“I will come to check in every Parish and every community base if the land is owned by individuals, families, and clans. If someone is selling, I will ask what the reason is,” he said.
According to him, God created the land so that humans live from the results of managing the land. “So let us be responsible to the Lord,” he said.
In addition, he asked his congregation to start praying for Divine Mercy at 3 p.m. Papuatime.
“It will be coordinated by Father John Bunay. I also ask all parents to properly foster children from an early age. Earlier my nephew carries the Bishop’s writing. Such children’s aspirations must be supported by parents,” he said. (*)
Jayapura, Jubi – It was 128 years ago when Catholicism entered Papua in Skuru, Fak-Fak. Today, February 2, 2023, marked a historical day as an Indigenous Papuan priest was appointed the first Papuan Bishop in the Diocese of Jayapura.
The new bishop, Msgr. Yanuarius Theofilus Matopai You, was ordained by apostolic nuncio of the Vatican Ambassador to Indonesia Msgr. Piero Pioppo in the church of Christ the King Jayapura Cathedral.
To witness the ordination ceremony, thousands of people poured into the Cathedral Church complex and Mandala Dok V Jayapura stadium. In addition to those living in Jayapura and Sentani, there were also those who came from other areas throughout Papua.
Catholic clergy Yan Awiikaituma Ukago said the presence of thousands of people was for three reasons.
“The first reason, becoming a bishop is very difficult. You have to go through various challenges and tests and strict bishop selection in Romas. Father You became a bishop because he met these difficult criteria,” Ukago told Jubi on Thursday, February 2, 2023.
Second, he continued, the position of Bishop is unique. Although based in Jayapura, a Bishop is ordained by the Vatican.
“The Catholic church is one and universal. Even the cough of a bishop is full of meaning. Hopefully, the Indigenous Papuans bishop would stand above all interests to fight for the public interest. For this reason, this ordination has dozens of bishops including from other neighboring countries, “he said.
Third, he continued, for native Papuans this moment served the pride of native Papuans in this country. Even though the new bishop came from the Mee tribe in Paniai, many native Papuans of different tribes, as well as the sky, the wind and the leaves today welcome the excitement.
“Not only Catholics but also congregations from Christian denominations, not only native Papuans but also non-Native Papuans are grateful to the Pope in Rome for the peace and faith guarded in the land of Papua,” he said.
Education must be prioritized
The ordination of the Jayapura Bishop received massive support not only from ordinary people but a number of officials in government circles. Keerom Regent Piter Gusbager expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the previous bishop, Mgr Leo Laba Ladjar for his love, devotion and work for the past 30 years in the Jayapura Diocese.
“This moment of faith is a sign that God loves his people, and a moment of salvation for Papuans. We hope the new bishop can continue what has been laid by Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar. Embrace all parties to cooperate with the diocese and the Catholic church under the leadership of the new bishop so that Papua remains a light for many people,” Gusbager told reporters after the ordination event.
The Diocese of Jayapura, he said, was one of the partners of the Keerom Government, especially in the field of education. According to him, the Catholic-based education pattern was one of the best in Papua.
“Therefore, we hope that the Bishop can find and cooperate with various partners to save the younger generation of Papua by creating a contextualized education with a dormitory model,” he said.
“I hope the Bishop will look for and cooperate with us in all fields, especially in the field of education and we, the Keerom government, will be ready to support the Catholic Church, especially in the field of education,” he added. (*)
Jayapura, Jubi – International Spokesperson of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) Victor Yeimo, who is a defendant of an alleged treason, underwent another hearing on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at the Jayapura District Court.
At the trial led by chief judge Mathius with member judges Andi Asmuruf and Linn Carol Hamadi, the public prosecutor presented a witness named Melkianus Clemens Ruwayari.
However, when questioned, the witness said he did not know or he had forgotten a lot of times. The defendant’s legal counsel therefore considered the witness to be unqualified as he did not bring any information.
“The witness presented only knew a certain information through a video, even when in the minutes of examination there were about five Youtube links. And then he admitted he signed the minutes of examination without reading it first,” said the defendant’s legal counsel, Emanuel Gobay. That way, Gobay added, there was a fabrication of testimony in the minutes of examination.
“Our guess is that this witness was forced to confess,” he said.
However, he was grateful that the witness said he did not know about the information written in the minutes of examination, which presented the minutes of examination as nonsensical.
Gobay further reminded the investigators within the police to uphold professionalism in taking minutes of examination.
Gobay was actually impressed when the witness, who is a Papuan, said he strongly disagreed with racism. He said he would be upset if during the trial he received a certain racist statement.
“This is something interesting, because this trial is related to racism and we also want to ensure that in this trial there are no racist acts in the criminal justice system,” he said.
Meanwhile, Victor Yeimo admitted that the most difficult thing in the racism case was not about him going to jail or being prosecuted in court but the common task to eliminate the racist paradigm that had been internalized among the authorities for a long time.
“It affects the dignity of humanity. Papuans too, we can only fight racism when we erase any racial and religious boundaries between us and the rest of the Indonesian people,” he said.
“We cannot fight racism when we still have racial sentiment within us. This is a common task that we must continue to try, the disease of racism in the brain of the ruler is what we must fight together peacefully and with dignity,” Yeimo added. (*)
"Qualified human resources are believed to be able to manage various resources well, including those owned by regions in the Papua region. This effort can also support the growth of the private sector in their respective regions," the minister noted in a statement received here.
He made the remarks during a coordination meeting with the heads of the Papua region on Friday.
He said that regional heads have a crucial role in regional budget management. Hence, they must manage the budget, including by using it to improve human resource capacity through education and health programs.
"So please, focus on the education of our children in the future. They must continue to attend formal (education), and also offer informal education that sticks true to local potential," he added.
Giving an example of the latter, the minister said that if an area is known for its plantations, then the regional government can develop it further by making plantation training centers.
The same thing can be applied to other regional potentials such as animal husbandry, mining, and fisheries, he said. That way, the various resources can be managed properly, Karnavian added.
By educating others and honing their skills, the community can establish businesses and employ other people along the way.
The business sector is an important aspect of pursuing economic growth at the regional level. It needs to be supported through ease of doing business, both for domestic investment and foreign investment, including for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
"That key, along with investment, is to develop the private sector in their respective areas. Only then can the (economy) bounce up," he added.
Related news:
Related news: MPR seeks road map for Papuan civil servants' development
Related news: MPR seeks firm measures for optimizing Papua's autonomy
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.