The Political Situation in the Province of Papua and West Papua

Introduction.
        
The political action of the Council of the Traditional and Cultural Society of Papua (Dewan Adat Papua) to counter the activities of the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB) was marking the eminent political activities of the local people in the most eastern Indonesian Provinces recently.
    
To recognize the detail situation of the political action it is likely important to deliberate the existence of the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB) as the new political phenomenon of Papua who is rejected by the Council of the Traditional and Cultural Society of Papua. However it tend to realize that the National Committee of West Papua is potential to develop.
    
Since the existence of the KNPB (National Committee of West Papua) in both the Province of West Papua and the Province of Papua are very disturbing the situation in the big cities in Papua and West Papua the Government Security Forces (the National Police) started to act strongly to the KNPB.

The Assessment.
   
The foundation of the National Committee of the West Papua (KNPB) was not recorded in the exact date but definitely it started to be active in the years after the foundation of the Province of West Papua.  However as the relatively new political organization the activities of the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB) is apparently covering both Provinces, namely the Province of West Papua and the Province of Papua.  KNPB is apparently attracted young Papuan generation to join it.

The influence of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) and the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB) among the society is considered as the potential political threat in the Province of Papua and West Papua. The reaction of the Council of the Traditional and Cultural Society of Papua (Dewan Adat Papua) is based on the fact  that the political attitude of ULMWP and  KNPB which do not support the integration of Papua to the Republic of Indonesia.
    
The Freedom Movement of Papua (OPM) was the armed struggle of a group of Papuan people against the Republic of Indonesia since the establishment of The Province of Papua in the beginning of seventy. The existence of the Freedom Movement of Papua gradually diminished during the New Order Period and the whole of the Province of Papua is totally under Government security control within ninety. The Freedom Movement of Papua (OPM) even in its strong position in the seventy and eighty it has never had the liberated Area as is power base. It can be concluded that the armed struggle of Papuan to get the freedom of Papua was failed. In the mean time the regeneration of the Freedom Movement of Papua (OPM) has been also failed. The attention of young generation of Papuan to the guerrilla war in the jungle is apparently poor.
    
After entering the Reformation Era it was almost no armed unit of the Freedom Movement of Papua was existing  eminently. Security disturbances were still existing but had not the strategic or tactical meaning. Now the armed threat of the Freedom Movement of Papua are mostly happened in the mountainous area as guerrilla forces. Apparently many members of those guerilla forces had surrendered to the government district leaders who treated them as friend.
    
Young generation are not attracted to join the armed guerilla force in the hill or the jungle so it is predicted gradually the armed group of the Freedom Movement of Papua will be very weak. Unfortunately in the field of political activities the international situation have been indicating as the fertile moment for the growing of the freedom  spirit of the young generation in the Province of Papua and West Papua through the political activities in the towns. Now the battle field is moving to the town leaving the mountain and the jungles.
    
The dualism attitude of the United Kingdom has apparently giving room for the international political activities of Beny Wenda as one educated and brave Papuan Youth to live in London as political refugee. Beny Wenda organize his international political activities through the establishment of the United Liberation  Movement of West Papua (ULMWP). From London as modern city Benny Wenda is easily conducting his international activities from Western Europe, to New York and to four Melanesian states namely PNG, Solomon, Fiji, Vanuatu in the South Pacific and his homeland Papua.
    
Domestically in Papua he established the National Committee of West Papua to launch political activities especially to unite the  educated and active Papuan Youth within the Province of West Papua as the basis of their activities moving into  the Province of Papua. His strategy is to attract the international pressure to push the Indonesian government to accept the political solution of the Papuan dispute through the Referendum.
    
Luckily for the Government of Indonesia, the old generation of Papuan as the mature society are mostly realizing that as a part of the Republic of Indonesia it is clear that a good chance for the Papuan to neutralize their backward is well prepared. They organize their political power in the Council of the Papuan Traditional and Cultural Society to face the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) and the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB) which are campaigning the political issue of Referendum among the Papuan.
    
In the month of April and in the beginning of May it was recorded the eminent political  activities to neutralize the activities of the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB), organized by the Council of the Traditional and Cultural Society in the capital of the Province of Papua, namely Jayapura and the district of Sentani:
    
On April 28, 2016 until May 2, 2016 The National Police of the Papua Police Area Command had caught 1.828 demonstrator consist of the National Committee of the West Papua, student and the supporter of the United Liberation Movement of Wet Papua in Jayapura, Sorong, Sentani and Merauke. They were legally processed by the Police according to their respective mistakes.
    
In May 2, 2016 all the Local people members of the  Traditional and Cultural Society of Papua living in Sentani made the mass action in the Theys Hiyo Eluay Square  Jayapura, demonstrating their political  acknowledgement that the Province of Papua is a part of the Republic of Indonesia. They rejected the presence of the members of the National Committee of West Papua and the United Liberation Movement of West Papua.
    
The mass action expressed their attitude: The People of the district of Sentani rejects the National Committee of West Papua; No one of the people of Sentani to join the National Committee of West Papua; Papua is a part of the Republic of Indonesia; The people of Sentani reject the United Liberation Movement of West Papua and the Melanesian Sperhead Group (MSG) intervention. MSG is the consultation meeting among the PNG, Solomon, Vanuatu and Fiji; Demanding the Government to push the mountainous armed group back to their villages; The people of Jayapura demanding the existence of security situation to protect their security needs; The people of Jayapura are demanding the payment of land bought by the Government;
    
On May 12, 2016 the leaders of the Council of  Traditional and Cultural Society of the District of Sentani said that the People of Sentani reject the presence of the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB) in Sentani. They demanded the Government of the Province of Papua to order all members of the National Committee of West Papua who were in Sentani to leave Sentani and supported the action done by The State Police and also TNI to stop the activities of the National Committee of West Papua in the Province of Papua. They also demanded the Government of the Province of Papua to order all members of the National Committee of West Papua who were in Sentani to leave Sentani and supported the action done by The State Police and also TNI to stop the activities of the National Committee of West Papua in the Province of Papua. The Council of The Traditional and Cultural Society (Dewan Adat) of Jayapura also  strongly rejected the presence of the National Committee of West Papua in Jayapura. The Council  also rejected the role of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua which is controlled from foreign country. The statement was made on May 7, 2016 in Jayapura.
    
The rejection against the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB) which declared to separate from the Unitary State of Indonesia was done by five leaders of the Council of Traditional and Cultural Society of Jayapura. The leaders of the Council of Traditional and Cultural Society are consisting of senior Papuan leaders who realize that to become a part of the Unitary State of Indonesia is the correct choice for the Papuan.
                
Conclusion
    
The Republic of Indonesia is still facing the attitude of a part of Papuan people who do not support the integration of Papua into the Republic of Indonesia, namely: The remnant of armed struggle launched by the Papuan Freedom Movement (OPM) who are active in the jungles and mountainous area. However no strategic or tactical meaning of this activities.
    
The political activity of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWB) under the coordination of Beny Wenda living in London The agenda of ULMWP to demand the Referendum in Papua is potential threat to develop among the Papuan youth who are mostly educated and political minded.
    
The National Committee of West Papua (KNBP) which are active in the Province of Papua and West Papua is potential to develop among the young and educated generation. KNBP is apparently a group of Papuan young generation who are active to support ULMWP campaigning the Referendum.
    
The remnant of the armed struggle of the Papuan Freedom Movement (OPM) tend gradually diminishing, because guerilla warfare is not attractive to the Papuan Youth.
    
The new generation of Papuan who are mostly  educated, political minded and modern thinking tend to be more sympathetic to the international and domestic politics. They tend to support the ULMWP and the NCWP (KNPB). This group also tend to describe the freedom is only the way to catch up the goal of people life. Accordingly the Referendum is considered as the democratic solution of the Papuan dispute by many educated generation of Papua.
    
The Papuan Traditional and Cultural Society being the old generation of the Papuan tend to realize that the integration of Papua into The Republic of Indonesia is the correct and the good step for the Papuan to develop its life and to neutralize its backward.
    
The Council of the Traditional and Cultural Society  is influencing among the Papuan society, accordingly its political position is very important.
 
This group of mature people of Papua tend to realize that the Special autonomous for both the Papuan Provinces is real Papuan development.

*) The writer in a security observer and a senior journalist in Lampung.