Problems grow in Papua for Jokowi

The recent massacre in Paniai, Papua has moved Indonesia further away from a ‘Papua Solution.’ Five protesters were killed when a combined force of Indonesian police and military opened fire on unarmed demonstrators on Dec. 8.

There are fears that the Joko “Jokowi” Widodo government is emulating the same approach to the military that his party chief, former president Megawati, adopted in 2001-2004. In any case, Jokowi faces a series of dangerous scenarios, with a military that in the past was not above murdering its detractors.

The Megawati approach involves treating military hardliners like spoiled children because they can create huge problems if a civilian president tries to assert authority over them. But giving the military a free reign also has its share of problems.

First, to wipe this latest massacre from the national consciousness will require further dehumanizing of Papuans by the national media. Also, to wipe this latest massacre from the international agenda will require further lies by security forces about rogue elements and commitment to human rights. And these efforts will do nothing to alleviate conflict in Papua.

Giving a free reign to the military will almost certainly lead to heightened conflict in Papua. This heightened conflict may actually be what military hardliners desire, as Papua offers commanders opportunities for private fund-raising and fast-tracked promotion. New Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu plans to add a second territorial command unit in Papua, a step which will further alienate Papuans. Heightened conflict may be good for the military but it is not good for Indonesia.

The new Jokowi government needs to walk a tightrope between the whimsical approaches by former presidents Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) that led the military to undermine them from 1999 to 2001, and the “free reign” approach by Megawati that exacerbated problems in Aceh and Papua from 2001 to 2004.

Continue reading “Problems grow in Papua for Jokowi” on Asia Sentinel.

Warren Doull (a pseudonym) has lived and worked extensively in Indonesia and Timor Leste, including for the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor in 2002.

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