What do Papuans really want?

What do Papuans really want? It is not an easy answer because if we ask majority ordinary Papuans they will straightforwardly answer they want to live a peace and happy life in accordance to their tradition. If we ask secessionists they want to separate from Indonesia. If we ask unionists they want to be with Indonesia forever.

The main reason why President Widodo’s approach in West Papua is by helping and developing West Papua is truly based on what majority Papuans want. According to Presidential Office official like Pramodhawardani the approaches were directed at boosting welfare in order to tackle the primary issue impacting the provinces of Papua and West Papua. She concluded that President Jokowi seriously want to fulfil ordinary Papuans dream through various development programs.

The various forms of development include a consultation process of understanding what do Papuans really want.

However, for separatist supporters, no matter how good is Jokowi’s program, they will simply reject and disrupt it with false accusations and xenophobic rhetoric used to maintain conflict in Papua and West Papua. Supporters of Free West Papua inject West Papua with deceiving opium and then blames the government when people get addicted to conflict and killing each other. It is very difficult to cure and rehabilitate people from addiction.

Whenever ordinary Papuans show their trust the local and central governments, supporters of separatism will intimidate them and sometime terrorise the people by violent actions. They killed innocent people and blame everything to Indonesian military or police.

The primary issue is the provinces of Papua and West Papua is the gap in understanding what is best for West Papuan. It should not be decided by neither separatist nor unionist. The people should know who is doing the best for their interest. It the local and central governments that help Papuans 24 hour 7 days, while separatist supporters only instigating conflict using the internet and sometimes conducting violent protest. Don’t forget that the Free West Papua criminal armed groups continue killing innocent people from time to time.

Papuans should be given a wider room to express their choices of various development, for example if Papuans want honai type houses then build honai and don’t build terrace houses. What is special about “special autonomy” can be seen in the uniqueness of its program that reflects what Papuans want.