Papua Issue in Indonesia-Australia relation

Papua issue in Indonesia-Australia relation is a kind of illumination project of political opportunist and separatist leaders who can not see the bright future of Papua under its tribal democracy. Our democratization process is slow but we have faith in the development of our community. We will modernize our society not by letting our traditional culture fade away, but by integrating all aspect of our culture into a peacefull process of development. Yes, we need help and assistance in doing the process. Indonesian federal government is still facing political struggle in Jakarta regarding the right concept for Papua. There are some ideas that invite a pro-con among elites and also grass roots, for example the proposal to split Papua. Indonesian federal government should settle all aspect of conflictual ideas and interests among political elites, so grass root in Papuan can feel that all those ideas are for the benefit of Papuan, not for political interest or parties. We count on our representatives in the People National Representatives Council to support the right development concept for Papua. Back to the issue of Indonesia-Australia relation,

we should always aware and conscious in understanding Indonesia-Australia realtion. We don’t want any political game that will destroy our peaceful development. I heard that political gamers in Australia like Joe Collins has already start provoking Australian government to raise Papua issue in the middle of a peaceful and harmonious relation between the two neighbor countries.

For us, Papua is neither a political game nor a conflictual issue that should be taken under an international political pressure. Bad relation between Indonesia and Australia will only give a bad impact to the development in Papua. We need real assistance from Indonesian federal government and from Australia to increase our level of living standard. We don’t respect all political gamers in Australia that continuing to create a conflictual situation in Papua.

I am curious, whether all those political gamers have a strong relation with the OPM and Indonesian Military, because it seems that conflict in Papua will benefited them, not Papuan.

Here is an example of provoking project to maintain conflict in Papua. We ordinary Papuan really despise such a disgusting hidden project by all political gamers in the world regarding Papua issue.

Source: Scoop Independent News 

AWPA Calls Rudd To Raise W. Papua Issue With Indo
Sunday, 10 February 2008, 9:40 am
Press Release: Australia West Papua Association

AWPA Calls on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to raise the issue of West Papua with the Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda
Joe Collins from the Australia West Papua Association said that AWPA is still concerned about the ties with the Indonesian military that the Lombok Treaty commits us to. (The treaty came into force on Thursday at a ceremony in Perth which was attended by the foreign ministers of Australia and Indonesia.

Prime Minister Rudd will meet with the Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda in Sydney today. Joe Collins from the AWPA said that “West Papua will be one of our most pressing foreign policy issues in the future, here is the opportunity for the Prime Minister to raise the issue of West Papua with the Indonesian Foreign Minister. We all want to have good relations with our neighbours but good relations with Jakarta should not be at the expense of the West Papuan people who are struggling for their right to self-determination”.

Australian governments of all persuasions have believed that a stabilised region to our north is our best defence. Kevin Rudd gave a talk last July to the Lowy Institute on the very subject called Fresh Ideas for Future Challenges: A New Approach to Australia’s Arc of Instability. In discussing Australian-Indonesian relations, however, there was no mention of West Papua. Yet it is the Indonesian military that are one of the main destabilising factors in West Papua. The activities of the military, their involvement in human rights abuses and resource extraction will lead to the very instability the government is trying to avoid.

The message that Kevin Rudd should give to the Indonesian Foreign Minister to take back to the Indonesian President is that Jakarta should dialogue with the Indonesian leadership to try and solve the many issues of concern in West Papua.

We know from history that dialogue is the beginning of the political resolution of such conflicts. To quote from Nelson Mandela, “One of our strongest weapons is dialogue”.

ENDS