A group of lay Catholics in Indonesia’s Christian-majority Papua has demanded the immediate resignation of their archbishop, alleging that his advanced age has left him incapacitated and that his actions are harming the diocese.
The Voice of the Papuan Catholic Laity issued a nine-point open letter on May 4, calling for the resignation of 78-year-old Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Merauke. Church laws require a bishop to tender his resignation upon reaching 75 years of age.
The group accused Mandagi of “manipulating the pulpit” to criticize the congregation and priests, thus "stirring up anger, resentment, hatred, and anxiety" among Catholics.
Mandagi was also accused of a lavish lifestyle and of having connections with companies that manipulate community land through the National Strategy Project.
The letter alleged Magadi received state funds and channeled them to various groups, and also collected funds from the congregation, but failed to provide details.
Mandagi was not available for comments when UCA News contacted. Another archdiocesan official also declined to comment.
Bishop Hilarion Datus Lega of Manokwari, a suffragan of Merauke Archdiocese, also declined to comment, saying he did not read the lay group's letter.
Divine World priest Fritz Meko acknowledged the concerns of the lay group but criticized its approach.
"The appeal was written by Catholics as if they were foreigners, and the Catholic Church as a Tera Incognita, a no-man's-land," he told UCA News.
He criticised the letter for lacking "ethical consideration, without any sense of love or courtesy toward the Church and the bishop as its leader."
Protesters held weekly demonstrations against him for months after he described the project as a “humanitarian project” that Papuans should support.
Reports say the project granted sugarcane plantation concessions covering more than 560,000 hectares to 10 companies, and they aim to develop about two million hectares of forest, swamp, and savanna into rice fields.
In January, police assaulted and briefly detained eleven young Catholics for joining the weekly protests. Mandagi denied using the police to disperse protesters.
Papuan rights activist Emanuel Gobay said the demand for Mandagi’s resignation is logical because the leader was “out of touch” with his people and his actions are “inconsistent” with Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si.
"The bishop's policy of supporting the National Strategy Project severely damages the forest and deprives the people of their livelihood from the forest," Gobay told UCA News.
Sandi Saputra Pulungan, an activist from Jakarta-based Indonesian Forum for the Environment, termed the project destructive.
The project is "robbing the community of their space and livelihoods." The move is also out of sync with policies that seek environmental protection amid the climate crisis, he told UCA News.
Manokwari, Jubi – The coordinator of The Commission for the Disappeared and Victim of Violence (KonTras) Southwest Papua, Musa Mambrasar, said that residents of Banfot Village in Fef District, Tambrauw Regency, Southwest Papua, remain internally displaced and are scattered across areas they consider safe.
Dozens of families, comprising hundreds of people, were previously reported to have fled to nearby areas after security forces carried out an operation in Banfot Village on March 18, 2026.
The operation followed an attack by unidentified individuals on four healthcare workers in Jokbu Village, Bamusbama District, Tambrauw, on March 16, 2026. Two of the health workers were killed, while the other two were injured.
Prior to that incident, a contract worker, Abraham Franklin Delano Kambu, was killed while traveling from Sorong to Fef District on March 8, 2026. His body was found the following day in Banfot Village with severe stab wounds
Mambrasar said he spent about a week in Fef District, the capital of Tambrauw Regency, where he met some of the displaced residents.
“Some of the displaced people we met expressed fear and trauma due to the actions of security forces, making them afraid to return to their villages,” Mambrasar said in a press release on Tuesday (May 5, 2026).
According to him, some of the internally displaced persons have even expressed intentions to abandon their villages permanently and relocate elsewhere in search of safety.
He alleged that during the arrests, several houses were dismantled, and residents faced intimidation and acts of violence.
Mambrasar also criticized local stakeholders, particularly the Tambrauw Regional Legislative Council (DPRK), for what he described as inaction.
He said the DPRK office appeared largely inactive, noting that council members rarely stay in Fef except during meetings or budget discussions.
Mambrasar expressed disappointment, saying that as elected representatives, DPRK members should be at the forefront of protecting the community and institutionally advocating for security issues in Tambrauw.
He argued that both institutionally and personally, DPRK members should treat the situation as a humanitarian issue, especially given what he described as excessive law enforcement measures and arrests carried out without sufficient evidence.
“In addition to security situation in Tambrauw, we urge the DPRK to immediately hold a dialogue or public hearing involving all stakeholders, including the local government, church leaders, military and police officials, traditional leaders, youth, women, and Indigenous communities,” he said.
He added that such a forum is crucial to gather input and aspirations from various groups to ensure long-term security and stability for Indigenous communities as well as the functioning of governance in Tambrauw. (*)
Maybrat, Jubi – High school and vocational students (SMA/SMK) in North Ayamaru District, Maybrat Regency, Southwest Papua, have cleaned trash from local rivers in an effort to protect and sustain the region’s rainbow fish population.
The cleanup took place in the Yase and Johkam rivers on Tuesday (May 5, 2026), with students removing various types of waste, including plastic bottles, cans, and glass.
Roby Nauw, a student at SMK Negeri Ayamaru, said the action went beyond a routine cleanup, describing it as a form of resistance against worsening environmental degradation.
Meanwhile, Nus Susim of the Save Ayamaru Lakes (SAL) community said the rivers in the area flow directly into Lake Ayamaru, meaning pollution in the rivers inevitably contaminates the lake.
He warned that the lake’s ecosystem has reached an alarming stage, with the endemic rainbow fish becoming increasingly difficult to find in its natural habitat.
“The Ayamaru rainbow fish is now rarely seen in the lake—almost to the point of disappearing,” Susim said.
He explained that, in addition to habitat degradation, invasive species such as tilapia, mujair, and snakehead fish pose a major threat, as they prey on rainbow fish eggs.
Susim added that if these rivers—where the fish now take refuge from invasive species—are further damaged or polluted, the survival of the rainbow fish will be at risk.
“We may one day only be able to tell future generations that there was once the most beautiful fish in the world in Ayamaru, but it has since gone extinct,” he said.
He warned that allowing invasive species to spread, continued pollution, and unchecked development would only accelerate the destruction of the river and lake ecosystems.
He also stressed that environmental degradation in the area threatens the livelihoods of Indigenous communities, for whom the lake and rivers serve as vital sources of food, income, and cultural identity.
“It is time for the government to move beyond ceremonial rhetoric and take real action. Otherwise, history will record us as the generation that failed to protect a natural heritage that once drew the world’s admiration,” Susim said. (*)
Manokwari, Jubi – Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Manokwari, West Papua, staged a protest on Jalan Pahlawan on Monday (May 4, 2026), burning tires to express frustration over what they describe as neglect by the National Nutrition Agency (Badan Gizi Nasional / BGN).
The demonstrators called on BGN headquarters to evaluate the performance of its West Papua regional office.
Protest coordinator Thomas Sanadi said MSME operators involved in the Free Nutritious Meal (Makanan Bergizi Gratis / MBG) program had been ignored for the past two months.
“Most of us are indigenous Papuans participating as MSME partners in MBG, but we feel abandoned by the BGN Regional Office in Papua,” Sanadi said during his speech.
Sanadi, who supplies pudding to several MBG kitchens in Manokwari, said the lack of coordination and support has left businesses unable to meet financial obligations, including paying employees and covering operational costs.
“We feel deceived. For two months, we’ve been left without clarity. As a result, 24 of our employees have not been paid. Vehicle rentals and shop leases are piling up—all due to the unprofessional management of the program by the West Papua BGN Regional Office,” he said.
Representing fellow MSME operators, Sanadi demanded that BGN headquarters immediately dismiss the head of the West Papua regional office.
Sorong, Jubi – A coalition of students under the Sorong Raya Student Solidarity banner in Southwest Papua staged a long march to the governor’s office on Monday (May 4, 2026), protesting against the government’s Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program.
The demonstration coincided with the commemoration of National Education Day, marked annually on May 2.
The protest brought together several student groups, including the Student Executive Board of Universitas Muhammadiyah Sorong (UNAMIN), the Forum Independent Mahasiswa West Papua (FIM-WP), the Mare Student and Youth Association of Sorong Raya (IPPMMSR), and the Papua Berpikir Reading Community (KLBPB).
Marchers set off from the UNAMIN Sorong campus, moving along the city’s main thoroughfares toward Taman Deo before gathering at the Southwest Papua Governor’s Office.
During the rally, participants displayed banners rejecting the MBG initiative while calling for free education, accompanied by a series of speeches.
Student representative Aslan Wajo said the MBG program fails to tackle the underlying challenges facing the education sector in Southwest Papua.
“We reject MBG if it comes at the expense of the education budget. Don’t shift the focus. Education is a fundamental right, not a side project,” Wajo said.
Protest coordinator Paulus Buto said the government appears to have deviated from its constitutional mandate, pointing to the 1945 Constitution’s commitment to “educating the life of the nation.”
“Today, we see the state blurring its priorities. Education must not be sacrificed for populist programs,” Buto said.
Beyond opposing the MBG program, the students also demanded the full rollout of free education at all levels—from kindergarten to university—particularly for Indigenous Papuan students in Southwest Papua who continue to face economic and access challenges.
They further called for any education funds they believe have been redirected to the MBG initiative to be returned to the sector, including for improving the welfare of honorary teachers, whom they say have long been overlooked.
“We see a pattern of neglect that continues year after year. Every National Education Day is commemorated, yet education problems in Southwest Papua are never truly resolved. If these demands are not addressed, we will return with a larger mass. This is not a threat—it is a warning,” he said.
The students reminded policymakers not to mask failures in the education sector with the MBG program, emphasizing that what is truly needed are proper school facilities, well-paid teachers, and affordable education.
Among their demands, they called on the Governor of Southwest Papua to reallocate the MBG budget toward free education across the region, to establish a public university in the province to ensure equal access, to distribute Special Autonomy (Otsus) funds to underprivileged Indigenous Papuan students each semester, and to conduct a comprehensive evaluation and audit of education budgets and institutions.
Responding to the protest, Southwest Papua Deputy Governor Ahmad Nasrau stated that the government is no longer allocating funds to programs deemed to have no direct impact on the public, such as official travel.
“Funds are now directly channeled to the community for MSMEs, education, healthcare, and contract teachers, especially for Indigenous Papuans,” Nasrau said.
He added that the distribution mechanism for Special Autonomy (Otsus) funds has been revised, with 80 percent now channeled directly from the central government to regencies and municipalities, while the provincial administration manages the remaining 20 percent.
Responding to calls for the establishment of a state university in Southwest Papua, Nasrau said the proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education and is currently undergoing review.
“The process is not instant—it requires time and study. But it is already underway, not something that just started today,” he said.
Nasrau acknowledged the province’s fiscal limitations, noting that the 2026 regional budget stands at Rp1.08 trillion, with nearly half absorbed by personnel and operational costs.
He added that, as a newly established autonomous region, Southwest Papua is also grappling with the need to build basic government infrastructure, which consumes a significant share of its budget.
Despite these constraints, he stressed that education and healthcare continue to be prioritized by the provincial government.
“We have already initiated free education programs for elementary, junior high, and senior high/vocational schools. For higher education, we admit it is not yet optimal due to budget limitations,” he said.
He added that education assistance is no longer provided directly to students in order to avoid legal issues, and is instead distributed through educational institutions to ensure greater accountability and transparency.
Addressing criticism of the MBG program, Nasrau said it is a national policy intended to directly meet community needs, while emphasizing that the provincial government remains open to feedback and views student input as an important part of its evaluation process.
Governor Elisa Kambu also reiterated that education and healthcare remain key priorities, although their implementation must be carried out gradually due to limited resources.
“The demand to reallocate the MBG budget must be understood in the context of it being a national program that regions are obligated to support. However, we ensure that it will not come at the expense of education,” Kambu said.
She added that the provincial government is open to dialogue with students to find solutions based on data and the region’s actual capacity.
“The MBG program is a good initiative. It is a presidential program aimed at ensuring children receive nutritious meals. It also creates jobs and helps reduce unemployment,” she said. (*)
Gamaliel M. Kaliele
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