TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Papuan figure Freddy Numberi has appealed to Indonesian people to not seeing the raising of Bintang Kejora or Morning Star flags as a problem. He said the flag was not a state flag.

“It is not a country’s flag, but rather a cultural one. We have to understand the history,” said Freddy at the Coordinating Ministry For Political, Legal, and Security Affairs office, Jakarta, Friday, August 30.

To date, the Bintang Kejora flag was considered as a symbol of separatism. In the governmental era of the fourth President Abdurahman Wahid alias Gus Dur, the flag was allowed to be raised as a cultural symbol, as long as it is under the red-and-white flag.

Two days ago, Papuan students hoisted the flags before the State Palace during a demonstration to protest racism against their fellow Papuans in Surabaya and Malang, East Java. Several protesters also painted their faces in the colors of the Bintang Kejora flag.

Security personnel let the flag rise and did not take any action against the mass. Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said the personnel deliberately restrained themselves from being reactive to the situation considering the ongoing riots in Papua.

Moeldoko said that many parties were waiting for the personnel to be provoked and thus commit violence against the protesters.

DEWI NURITA