Discrimination Is the Main Force Driving Papuan Independence

Often projects like plantations or mining or the Trans-Papua toll road are being driven by a kind of development mentality that “It’s for the good of the people.” But the problem is that this idea of development is a very top-down way of thinking about development. Papuans have their own idea of well-being, good food, a healthy environment, and spiritual and religious values.

You have written about racism against Papuans that triggered protests in 2019.

The roots of the racial question in Papua did not begin with the Indonesian period. European explorers and colonizers during the Dutch period and long before had already started to create or construct racial categories to distinguish Malay people from Melanesian people. Melanesia, the word is from melanin, which means black. In Papua, the question of race cannot be detached from the way of life of many Papuans. So the Marind, for instance, and many other Papuan communities, depend very much on the forest for their everyday economic life and social and cultural life. But living in the forest often is seen as backward or primitive. It’s a major obstacle to interethnic dialogue and finding paths to peace together. So going back to what I was saying earlier about Papuans not feeling heard, when you are treated, you know, “as if we are monkeys” like the words of the Filep Karma, that really changes the kind of conversation you can have in terms of identities.
(Filep Karma, a former pro-Papuan independence political prisoner, was intercepted by personnel of the Indonesian Air Force upon arriving at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten, in 2017. One soldier called Filep a “monkey” when interrogating him.)

Of the various issues, what has been the strongest in encouraging aspirations of independence?

I think that ongoing racial discrimination is one of the major drivers of why many Papuan activists want independence. I think for many people who I worked with in Merauke, they never really talked so much about independence, because they would say, “My priority is to feed my kids and to be able to drink fresh water and to be able to get a job and some education.” Independence is a different question, but in the near future, actual survival is more important for many people. I think unless the racial question is addressed properly by the government in consultation with Papuan communities, Papuans are going to continue to perceive racism as one of the major reasons why they no longer want to be part of this particular multi-ethnic community that is Indonesia. So it’s a burning question.

Some human rights activists see these independence aspirations as a combination of many issues, including human rights violations.

Papuans have very different perspectives on independence. Then there are some Papuan independent activists who are living overseas, such as Benny Wenda, and in Australia also. One of the biggest reasons why it’s very problematic is that actually sometimes the vision of the Papuan diaspora is not necessarily in line with the perspective or vision of Papuans in Papua. So there can also be the rise of different kinds of factions or different kinds of perspectives on what independence should look like, who will have the power, and who will be able to represent who.

Read the Full Interview in Tempo English Magazine

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