Papuan Students, Successor of Papua Development!?

Every nation in the world wants to have a successor for its development. The future of a nation is determined by the younger generation, both students in college and lower education students. It also applies for Indonesia. The future of the nation is determined by the younger generation.

Each Indonesian youth, whether they are students in college, lower education students, or those who have just completed their education is an important factor that Indonesia heavily relies on in realizing the ideals of the nation and also to defend the sovereignty of the nation.

Efforts to maintain the sovereignty of the nation will never be separated from the existence of threats, challenges, obstacles, and interference, either from abroad or from within the country.

Many of the problems are inherited from the past, for example in Papua. For a few young people of Papua, demanding the separation from the Republic of Indonesia is a democratic solution for Papua as a nation.

In fact, they never become a witness to the history of how their predecessors fought together in an effort to expel the Dutch colonization from Papua as part of the NKRI.

Papuan Students do not Actually Know What They Fight For

The background of some Papuan students' struggle demanding Papuan independence, separation of sovereignty from Indonesia is unclear. Why some? The fact is, every action undertaken by Papuan students is only followed by 30 to 50 people, at most about 100 people.

For example in the city of student, Yogyakarta which is one with the highest number of students from Papua. From about 7,000 students, the demonstration was only attended by about 0,014 percent of total students. Students who are still "sane" are still more, those who stick to original purpose as a student to study in Yogyakarta.

There are several Papuan students in Yogyakarta who can serve as an example of students with a noble purpose migrated away from the homeland to really gain knowledge that can later be used to build Papua or at least to get better prosperity.

One of them is a student in the Faculty of Engineering University of Gadjah Mada (UGM). Departing with the blessing of his parents, he went to Yogyakarta to get better knowledge and has a dream to work in an oil company in Africa.

Anyhow, the students from Papua actively participating in the demonstrations, do not actually know what they stood for. They just went along with the senior in order to show their "existence" by actively participating in the activities of the organization.

The students from Papua are highly reactive to various unfolding issues, although these issues must still require confirmation. This reactive stance will always be accompanied by the demands of separation despite having no connection at all.

Who Deserves To Be Called The Papuan Student?.

College student is a potential for the progress of a country. Their role is very important for development program and to maintain the nation's independence. College students are those undergoing higher education at a university or college. So, is it appropriate to refer a group of people who often do demonstrations calling themselves the Alliance of Papuan Students (AMP) as PAPUAN STUDENTS?.

A proper check to the status of AMP members may be done. The majority of members of AMP are not students at any university or college, either because of drop out (DO), quitting, or not able to continue their education. Therefore, is it wise to commend the future of Indonesia, especially the future of Papua to them?

A College Student Must Be smart in Using an Opportunity

As the successor generation, college students are obliged to guard the country seriously. The developing situation in this globalization era requires active role of the students in facing all changes in all aspects, to be an agent of change towards the betterment.

Students must smartly seize opportunities and chances given to them. Regarding the students from Papua, the government has launched two programs, Afirmasi Pendidikan Tinggi (ADIK) and Afirmasi Pendidikan Menengah (ADEM) to show that the government is focusing and serious to create a better Papua.

Students from Papua should use this opportunity as well as possible by studying hard to bring major changes in Papua. Papuan students must prove that they are also able to compete and build their own hometown so that they are not always underestimated.

In addition, students from Papua who study in several cities, must prove that they are adaptive so that when they become a leader one day, they could be a good one. The primary focus of Papuan students is studying, until the time comes to bring change and become the successors of development in Papua in the frame of NKRI.

*) The writer is a Papua issue observer. A former mass communication director at Lembaga Analisa Politik dan Demokrasi, Jakarta. His earned bachelor degree at Padjajaran University in Bandung, West Java.