Pemimpin Gerakan Pembebasan Papua, Benny Wenda, mendesak Pemerintah Indonesia, membuka akses yang lebih ke Papua Barat. | (bennywenda.org)
JAKARTA –Sindonews – Gerakan Pembebasan Papua atau Papua Merdeka semakin lantang mendesak Pemerintah Indonesia untuk membuka akses ke Papua Barat terkait isu pelanggaran HAM. Gerakan ini bereaksi setelah negara-negara Kepulauan Pasifik di Sidang Umum PBB memberi dukungan bagi Papua Barat untuk menentukan nasibnya sendiri.
Pemerintah Indonesia mengecam sikap enam negara di Kepualuan Pasifik, yakni Vanuatu, Solomon Island, Tonga, Nauru, Marshall Island dan Tuvalu, karena berbicara dengan kurangnya pemahaman mereka tentang Papua. Indonesia melalui diplomatnya di PBB, Nara Masista Rakhmatia, menyebut negara-negara itu mendukung kelompok separatis dan teroris di Papua.
“Pernyataan negara-negara itu benar-benar melanggar tujuan piagam HAM PBB dan melanggar prinsip hukum internasional tentang relasi persahabatan antarnegara serta kedaulatan dan integritas teritori suatu negara,” kata Nara dalam pidato perlawanannya terhadap enam pemimpin Negara Pasifik di forum PBB.
“Saya ulangi, itu sudah melanggar kedaulatan dan integritas teritori suatu negara,” lanjut Nara, yang kesal bahwa negara-negara Kepulauan Pasifik sudah ikut campur urusan dalam negeri Indonesia soal Papua Barat.
Baca: Usik Indonesia, Negara-negara Pasifik Ikut Campur soal Papua Barat
Pemimpin Gerakan Pembebasan Papua, Benny Wenda, melalui seorang juru bicara mengatakan, selalu ada respons defensif khas Indonesia setiap kali dukungan internasional untuk hak-hak orang Papua muncul.
”Mereka selalu berteriak. Bahkan di London, jika kita mengadakan acara di London, dalam pertemuan parlemen bagian dari dunia, mereka selalu berteriak,” kata Benny Wenda.
”Dan bagi kami, itu bukan hal baru. Jadi saya pikir waktu (telah tiba) bagi Pemerintah Indonesia untuk membuka akses ke Papua Barat,” katanya lagi, seperti dikutip radionz.co.nz, Sabtu (1/10/2016).
Desakan dari gerakan itu telah mengabaikan fakta bahwa sejak tahun lalu, Pemerintah Indonesia telah membuat beberapa langkah untuk memberikan lebih banyak akses bagi jurnalis asing ke Papua.
Langkah Indonesia itu dianggap Benny Wenda belum cukup. Menurutnya, akses ke Papua Barat juga harus diberikan untuk organisasi kemanusiaan dan HAM terkemuka internasional seperti Komite Palang Merah Internasional dan Amnesty International.
In an unprecedented move, seven UN member states from the Pacific raised their concerted voices on Papua during the prestigious 71st session of the UN General Assembly in New York this week.
Nauru started the intervention by highlighting the issue of human rights violations in Papua, followed by a newcomer in the discourse of Papua: the Marshall Islands.
Vanuatu, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands followed suit and went one step further by specifically highlighting the issue of the right to self-determination for Papuans. Tonga emphasised the gravity of the problem and Palau, another novice, called for constructive dialogue with Indonesia to solve the Papua issue.
This was a historic moment for us as we have never had such unified high-profile intervention when it comes to the issue of Papua at the UN. Perhaps the only lone ranger used to be Vanuatu, which tried to break the silence of the UN fora.
This week’s debate at the UN General Assembly might remind us of a similar but much more colorful debate on Papua at the assembly in 1969, when the forum decided to close the chapter on Papua by accepting the result of the Act of Free Choice.
If in 1969 some African countries expressed opposition to the assembly’s decision to adopt the result of the 1969 Act of Free Choice for Papuans, today the Pacific nations are taking the lead.
Indonesia’s response, however, was highly predictable. Repeating the slogan of territorial integrity and sovereignty, the government’s response unfortunately does not provide us with facts and evidence of the improvement in the human rights situation in Papua.
It may be remembered that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo promised to solve the killing of four high-school students in Paniai on Dec. 8, 2014. The investigation into the case has been delayed for almost two years and we have not seen much progress.
The families of the victims recall that at least eight government institutions sent their respective fact-finding team to interview victims on the ground and personnel of the Army, the Papua Police, the National Police, the Air Force, the Papua Legislative Council, the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), the Office of Coordinating Security, Political and Legal Affairs Minister, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). None of these teams, however, has ever published their report for public consumption.
Similarly, the dossiers on the Wasior killings of 2001 and the Wamena case of 2003 have been pending for more than a decade at the Attorney General once Komnas HAM finished its investigation. These were not ordinary crimes but crimes against humanity, one of the most serious crimes punishable by Indonesian and international law. Unfortunately, both Komnas HAM and the Attorney General’s Office have argued over evidence and procedure for years.
Komnas HAM insists that it has provided conclusive evidence and has followed proper procedure. On the other hand, the Attorney General’s Office has argued that Komnas HAM has not met the requirement of a pro-justice investigation as investigators did not take an oath as required by the Criminal Law Procedures Code. Both institutions have overlooked the fact that victims continue to suffer.
Memories are still fresh on the surge in the arrests of Papuan youth when they took to the streets to express their opinions in public despite a constitutional guarantee of the right to do so.
The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) documented that at least 4,587 individuals, men and women, were arrested by the police for expressing their political views in 13 cities, namely Dekai, Fakfak, Jakarta, Jayapura, Kaimana, Makassar, Malang, Manado Manokwari, Merauke, Sentani, Wamena and Yogyakarta.
While most of the arrestees were released within 24 hours, the deployment of police in 13 jurisdictions across the country would not have been possible without the blessing of the National Police top brass.
While we were grappling with human rights conditions in Papua, we were shocked by the President’s decision to appoint Gen. (ret) Wiranto as the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister.
In February 2003, the UN-sponsored Special Panels for Serious Crimes of the Dili District Court, Timor Leste, indicted Gen. Wiranto, then the Indonesian defense and security minister and Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) commander for crimes against humanity in connection with the events in Timor Leste in 1999.
As we were yet to recover from the President’s unfathomable choice, we were presented with another unprecedented decision when the Indonesian Military TNI chief named Maj. Gen. Hartomo to lead the military’s Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS).
Hartomo was the commander of the Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus) Tribuana X unit assigned to Papua when Theys Eluay was murdered. Hartomo and six other Kopassus officers were charged with Theys’ murder on National Heroes Day in 2001. He and his team were found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison by the Surabaya Military Court and discharged from the Army.
These all are simple facts that tell us the way our government commits to human rights in Papua and elsewhere, which the Indonesian delegation to the UN General Assembly describes as “robust and active”. ______________________________
The writer, who obtained his PhD from the Australian National University, lectures in international relations at the Paramadina Graduate School of Diplomacy, Jakarta.
he United Nations General Assembly Hall where leaders convene every September to discuss UN Agendas in the world.
By PM Press, Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare has reiterated Solomon Islands call on the United Nations for the recognition of Taiwan and expressed concern about the human rights violations in West Papua when he addressed the 71st United Nations General Assembly yesterday, Friday 23rd September.
Solomon Islands commits a section in its annual address to the United Nations General Assembly to call on the UN for the recognition of Taiwan and when reiterating that call yesterday, the Prime Minister said, “Solomon Islands recognises the fundamental right of Taiwan’s 23 million people to participate meaningfully in the United Nations specialised bodies.”
However, the Prime Minister said Solomon Islands finds Taiwan’s limited and restricted participation with the World Health Organisation regrettable, especially at a time when the spread of infectious diseases is impacting children and needs everyone to assist.
He said similarly, Taiwan remains unjustly on the fringes of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s decision-making process despite managing more than a million flights or 58 million passengers through ‘Taipei Flight Information Region.’
“We (therefore) call for Taiwan’s open and free access to all WHO meetings and also call for Taiwan’s predictable and certain participation in ICAO gatherings.
“There has always been two political systems along the Taiwan Strait and the reality is the world works with one and turns a blind eye to the other.”
He said the implementation of the (UN) 2030 Agenda calls for all hands on deck and therefore the UN must put the interest of humanity first and work with all including Taiwan.
On the issue of human rights violations in West Papua, the Prime Minister said Solomon Islands is gravely concerned about the human rights violations against Melanesians in that region.
And he added that the human rights violations and the pursuit for self-determination of West Papua are two sides of the same coin.
“Many reports on the human rights violations in West Papua emphasise the inherent corroboration between the rights to self-determination that results in direct violations of human rights by Indonesia in its attempts to smother any form of opposition.”
The Prime Minister said, “The principle of sovereignty is paramount to any institution whose core rationale is the respect for sovereignty. If the justification of sovereignty rests on a series of decisions that are questionable, then there is a case to challenge the legality of the argument of sovereignty.”
He added that, “As the chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group that also includes Indonesia as an associate member and the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) as an Observer, Solomon Islands affirms the need for constructive engagement with Indonesia and looks forward in cooperating with Indonesia to address the violations of human rights in West Papua.
The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to reaffirm Solomon Islands support for the unalienable right of the people of the Territory of French Polynesia pursuant to annual resolutions of the UNGA beginning in 2013.
He said Solomon Islands continues to request the Administering power to work and cooperate with the UN Special Committee on the question of French Polynesia and C24 (UN Committee on Decolonisation).
The Prime Minister also made mentioned the question of New Caledonia on the United Nations Agenda.
He said the Melanesian Spearhead Group continues this issue and wished the people of New Caledonia all the best as they prepare to decide on their political future in 2018.
Presiden Nauru, Baron Divavesi Waqa (Foto: UN Photo/Cia Pak)
New York, Tabloid-WANI — Seperti sudah diperkirakan sebelumnya, Presiden Republik Nauru, Baron Divavesi Waqa, mengangkat isu pelanggaran Hak Asasi Manusia (HAM) di Papua saat berpidato pada Sidang Umum Perserikatan Bangsa-bangsa di New Yok, (21/9).
Dalam salah satu bagian pidatonya, ia mengatakan negaranya sangat prihatin dengan situasi di Papua, terkait dengan tuduhan pelanggaran HAM di sana. “Nauru sangat prihatin dengan situasi di Papua (Barat) termasuk adanya tuduhan pelanggaran HAM,” kata dia, yang juga disiarkan oleh televisi internet PBB. Oleh karena itu, kata dia, Nauru menekankan perlunya dilaksanakan rekomendasi yang telah disampaikan oleh Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) pada pertemuan pemimpinnya di Republik Federasi Mikronesia belum lama itu. Rekomendasi itu adalah tentang perlunya dialog yang konstruktif dengan pemerintah Indonesia tentang Papua. Berikut ini Video pidato Presiden Nauru di PBB
Di bagian lain pidatonya, ia juga menyinggung soal Korea Utara. Menurut dia, Nauru juga prihatin dengan meningkatnya tensi yang diprovokasi oleh tindakan Korea Utara. “Wilayah Pasifik sudah mengalami terlalu banyak kekerasan dan penderitaan pada abad 20 dan tidak bisa membiarkan bencana perang kembali lagi. Tidak ada tempat di dunia yang berkelanjutan untuk proliferasi nuklir,” kata lanjut dia.
Presiden Nauru juga bersuara tentang Taiwan, yang menurutnya adalah teman dekat negaranya. Ia menyerukan agar 23 juta penduduk Taiwan juga menikmati hak-hak dasar yang diatur dalam Piagam PBB. “Taiwan telah memberikan kontribusi kepada Majelis Kesehatan Dunia dan International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Negara ini juga mempromosikan pembangunan berkelanjutan dan membantu untuk memimpin jalan ke ekonomi rendah karbon. Taiwan adalah pemangku kepentingan utama di dalam masyarakat internasional. Dan kita harus melakukan upaya untuk mengatur partisipasi mereka di seluruh sistem PBB, sehingga semua negara anggota dapat memperoleh manfaat dari kontribusi substansialnya,” kata dia. Sebelumnya, dalam salah satu butir komunike bersama PIF, dimana Nauru menjadi salah satu anggotanya, isu pelanggaran HAM Papua disebut meskipun forum ini menganggap hal itu merupakan isu sensitif. “Para pemimpin (PIF) mengakui sensitivitas isu Papua dan setuju bahwa tuduhan pelanggaran HAM di Papua tetap menjadi agenda mereka. Para pemimpin juga menyepakati pentingnya dialog yang terbuka dan konstruktif dengan Indonesia terkait dengan isu ini,” demikian bunyi salah satu butir komunike.
Baca ini: Solomon dan Nauru Tekan Pemerintah Indonesia di dua Badan PBB PIF adalah forum beranggotakan 16 negara dan wilayah di Pasifik, terdiri dari Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Selandia Baru, Niue, Papau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu dan Vanuatu.
Dalam pertemuan PIF pekan lalu, anggotanya bertambah dua lagi dengan disahkannya keanggotaan French Polynesia dan New Caledonia. Selain di PIF, Nauru juga baru-baru ini ikut bergabung dengan kelompok negara-negara Pasifik yang peduli pada nasib Papua, yaitu Pacific Island Coalition for West Papua (PICWP).
Koalisi yang dipimpin oleh PM Solomon Islands ini, bertujuan untuk menggalang dukungan negara-negara Pasifik untuk menyerukan Perserikatan Bangsa-bangsa (PBB) melakukan intervensi atas pelanggaran HAM dan penentuan nasib sendiri bagi Papua. Anggota awal PICWP terdiri dari Pemerintah Kepulauan Solomon, Pemerintah Vanuatu, kelompok Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste(FLNKS), Pemerintah Tuvalu, Republik Nauru, United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) dan kelompok Lembaga Swadaya Masyarakat (LSM) Pasifik, Pacific Islands Association Non Govermental Organization (PIANGO).
Penulis: Reporter Satuharapan 19:41 WIB | Senin, 05 September 2016
Anggota dan simpatisan Pacific Coalition on West Papua (PCWP) berfoto bersama Sekretaris Jenderal Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor di East West Center, di Honolulu. (Foto: Sekretariat Pers PM Solomon Islands)
HONOLULU, SATUHARAPAN.COM – Para diplomat Indonesia tampaknya belum dapat tidur nyenyak. Gerakan yang menyuarakan penentuan nasib sendiri Papua belakangan ini menggeliat lagi.
Setelah sempat melemah pasca tertahannya permohonan United Liberation Movement for West Papua (UMWP) untuk bergabung dengan Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), gerakan ini mencoba bangkit. Kali ini melalui apa yang disebut sebagai Pacific Coalition for West Papua (PCWP) atau Koalisi Pasifik untuk Papua Barat.
Menurut siaran pers dari sekretariat pers PM Kepulauan Solomon, PCWP yang diprakarsai oleh PM negara tersebut, Manasye Sogavare, yang juga ketua MSG (Melanesian Spearhead Group), terbentuk beberapa bulan lalu di Honiara, ibukota Kepulauan Solomon. PCWP terbentuk pasca terhentinya ULMWP bergabung ke MSG.
Menurut penjelasan resmi Sogavare, PCWP bertujuan untuk menggalang dukungan negara-negara Pasifik untuk menyerukan Perserikatan Bangsa-bangsa (PBB) melakukan intervensi atas pelanggaran HAM dan penentuan nasib sendiri bagi Papua. Anggota awal PCWP terdiri dari Pemerintah Kepulauan Solomon, Pemerintah Vanuatu, kelompok Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste(FLNKS), ULMWP dan kelompok Lembaga Swadaya Masyarakat (LSM) Pasifik, Pacific Islands Association Non Govermental Organization (PIANGO).
Dalam pertemuan mereka di Aloha, Honolulu, pada hari Jumat lalu (2/9), dukungan terhadap koalisi ini bertambah dengan bergabungnya dua negara Pasifik lain, yaitu Pemerintah Tuvalu dan Republik Nauru. Kedua negara ini masing-masing diwakili oleh Perdana Menteri Tuvalu, Enele Sopoaga dan Duta Besar Nauru untuk PBB, Marlene Moses.
Tidak hanya dua negara ini yang memberikan dukungan. Dua pihak lain juga sudah menunjukkan dukungan, ketika inisiatif ini diperkenalkan di Honiara. Keduanya adalah Kerajaan Tonga dan Republik Kepulauan Marshall. Dukungan kedua negara ini juga telah terkonfirmasi pada Jumat lalu (2/9) dengan kehadiran Perdana Menteri Tonga, Akilisi Pohiva dan Menteri Pekerjaan Umum Republik Kepulauan Marshall, David Paul.
Pada pertemuan di Aloha itu, semua anggota PCWP hadir, kecuali Republik Vanuatu yang tidak mengirimkan wakil. Sekretaris Jenderal Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) –sebuah forum negara-negara Pasifik lain yang keanggotaannya lebih luas dan akan bertemu pekan ini — Dame Meg Taylor, turut pula hadir pada pertemuan tersebut.
Pada pertemuan itu, Sogavere berpidato dan mengatakan negara-negara Pasifik memiliki tugas mengatasi masalah-masalah yang dihadapi Papua, sebagai kerabat terdekat. Dia kembali menekankan bahwa referendum atau ‘menentukan nasib sendiri’ adalah hak Papua, yang sejak 50 tahun terakhir telah dituntut. Hak itu, kata dia, juga merupakan prinsip dasar Piagam PBB.
Ia menekankan bahwa tujuan dari PCWP benar-benar sejalan dengan prinsip-prinsip HAM dan demokrasi, dan semua negara PBB harus mematuhi dan melindunginya.
Di bagian lain, Sogavare mengakui apa yang diinisiasi oleh PCWP bukan tugas yang mudah. Bangsa-bangsa di Pasifik, kata dia, memerlukan pendekatan kolaboratif dan strategis untuk mengantisipasi masalah yang akan datang. “Hanya dengan bekerja secara strategis dan bersama-sama, kita bisa menangani masalah di Papua Barat,” tuturnya.
Menunggu Respon Presiden Joko Widodo
Sekjen PIF, Dame Taylor, ketika mendapat kesempatan berbicara pada pertemuan itu. mengatakan bahwa pada pertemuan puncak PIF ke-46 di Port Moresby pada tahun 2015, telah diputuskan untuk mengirim tim pencari fakta ke Papua. Namun, kata dia, Pemerintah Indonesia menganggap istilah ‘pencari fakta’ terkesan ofensif.
Dame Taylor mengatakan sampai saat ini pihaknya masih menunggu respon dari Presiden Joko Widodo atas rekomendasi PIF. Ia mengatakan sudah bertemu dengan Ketua PIF yaitu PM Papua Nugini, Peter O’Neil dan juga dengan Presiden Indonesia, Joko Widodo. Proses sedang berjalan untuk memenuhi resolusi PIF, kata dia, dan ia mengharapkan Ketua PIF dan presiden Joko Widodo akan bertemu.
Sementara itu, Sekjen ULMWP, Octovianus Mote mengklaim bahwa ULMWP mewakili gerakan kemerdekaan Papua dan akan terus mengejar hak-hak rakyatnya untuk menentukan nasib sendiri dan semua hak-hak lainya yang tercantum dalam Piagam PBB.
Perdana Menteri Sapoaga dari Tucalu mengatakan negaranya menghargai dan bersimpati sepenuhnya dengan aspirasi dan keinginan rakyat Papua untuk mempunyai hak otonomi sendiri.
Sementara Menteri Republik Kepulauan Marshall mengatakan negaranya melihat masalah Papua dari perspektif kemanusiaan dan masalah kemanusiaan berada di garis depan mereka.
Perwakilan dari FLNKS, Rodrigue Tiavouane, mengatakan bahwa FLNKS mendukung penuh inisiatif PCWP dan strategi yang akan dilaksanakan.
Ia menambahkan bahwa FLNKS juga melalui proses yang sama dalam ‘penentuan hak otonom sendiri’ dimulai dari bergabung dengan MSG lalu ke PIF dan akhinya ke Komite 24 PBB (Komite Khusus Dekolonisasi).
Perdana Menteri Pohiva dari Tonga mengatakan adalah kewajiban moral untuk mengatasi pelanggaran HAM di Papua dengan adanya seruan ‘penentuan nasib sendiri’.
Dia mengatakan pada Sidang Umum PBB ke-70 tahun lalu, ia berbicara tentang tujuan dan pertanggung jawaban pemerintah atas semua hal yang tidak mungkin terwujud tanpa dukungan penuh kepada HAM di daerah konflik di seluruh dunia termasuk di Kepulauan Pasifik.
Sementara itu Duta dari Tuvalu mengatakan adalah penting bahwa masalah Papua akan dibawa ke Komite 24 PBB. Namun ia juga mengatakan apa yang berhasil untuk beberapa orang tidak selalu berhasil pada orang lain.
Anggota PIANGO dari Tonga, Drew Havea mengatakan PIANGO mengakui penderitaan yang dialami rakyat Papua adalah juga penderitaan Pasifik dan mendesak para pemimpin Pasifik untuk bersepakat menghentikan kekerasan di Papua dan selanjutnya menemukan jalur damai ‘menentukan nasib sendiri’. (kav)
Pohnpei, Jubi – Perwakilan Organisasi Masyarakat Sipil (OMS) Pasifik telah mendorong para pemimpin Pasifik untuk mendukung keterlibatan PBB dalam kasus rakyat dan bangas Papua Barat.
Ini adalah salah satu poin kunci dari perwakilan OMS yang diajukan selama pertemuan dengan Forum Troika Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Troika forum adalah forum yang melibatkan Ketua PIF sebelumnya, Ketua PIF saat ini dan Ketua PIF mandatang. Ketua saat ini, Perdana Menteri PNG, Peter O’Neill tidal hair dalam pertemuan tersebut karena belum tiba di Ponhpei, Negara Federasi Micronesia. Ia diwakili oleh Menteri Luar Negerinya, Rimbink Pato.
Kepada Jubi, usai pertemuan dengan forum Troika, Ketua Pacific Islands Association of NGO (PIANGO), Emele Duituturaga mengatakan ia bersama rekan-rekan NGO se Pasifik menyampaikan kepada pemimpin PIF tentang proses-proses di PBB yang tersedia untuk mengadvokasi kasus Papua Barat.
“Kami melihat proses-proses di PBB mungkin bisa menjadi salah satu jalur untuk menyelesaikan kasus Papua Barat,” kata Emele.
Ia menambahkan hingga saat ini publik di Pasifik dan Melanesia hanya berpikir kasus Papua Barat adalah isu di Melanesia saja. Inilah yang membedakan advokasi sebelumnya dan saat ini untuk Papua Barat yang dilakukan beberapa negara dan NGO di Pasifik.
“Dalam rekomendasi kami, kami juga mencoba membantu para pemimpin kami untuk mengidentifikasi beberapa hubungan bilateral antara negara-negara di Pasifik dengan Indonesia. Terutama bantuan bilateral yang bisa menghalangi kepentingan dan pilihan kita di Pasifik yang perdu menjadi kepedulian kita,” lanjutnya.
Sebagai salah satu dari enam perwakilan OMS Pasifik yang ditunjuk untuk bertemu forum Troika, Emele juga mendorong pemimpin PIF untuk mensponsori Papua Barat masuk dalam daftar dekolonisasi dan berbicara pada Sekretaris Jenderal PBB untuk menunjuk utusan khusus dalam menangani kasus pelanggaran Hak Asasi Manusia di Papua Barat.
Dalam kesempatan yang sama, Perdana Menteri Samoa, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Neioti mengkonfirmasi perwakilan OMS mengangkat isu Papua Barat dalam pertemuan dengan Forum Troika. Namun ia mencatat, isu Papua Barat terdiri dari dua isu.
“Pertama adalah soal Hak Asasi Manusia. Isu ini bisa kita angkat dalam situasi seperti saat ini. Tapi soal penentuan nasib sendiri, ada proses yang harus kita ikuti,” kata Neoti.
Ia mencontohkan kasus negaranya sendiri yang menurutnya sangat mirip dengan kasus Papua Barat saat ini.
“Apa yang muncul di Papua Barat sangat mirip dengan situasi negara saya sendiri ketika kami ingin menjadi negara merdeka. Tentu saja kemudian PBB datang dan membimbing kami sepanjang jalan menuju kemerdekaan akhir tahun 1962. Jadi ada proses yang harus dilewati dan itu adalah langkah formal yang harus dilakukan,” lanjutnya.
Namun kekhawatiran atas isu Papua Barat dalam pertemuan puncak para pemimpin PIF pada Sabtu (10/9/2016) sempat muncul di kalangan NGO Pasifik ini. Hal ini disebabkan kemungkinan ketidakhadiran Perdana Menteri Kepulauan Solomon, Manasye Sogavare dalam pertemuan retreat tersebut, karena dilakukan pada hari Sabath. Sogavare adalah penganut Advent. Sogavare, sebagai Ketua Melanesia Spearhead Group (MSG) adalah salah satu kunci utama dalam advokasi kasus Papua Barat
Terkait hal ini Direktur Jenderal Kantor Perdana Menteri Vanuatu, Johnson Naviti menegaskan posisi Koalisi Pasifik untuk Papua Barat sangat jelas dalam pertemuan PIF kali ini. Menurutnya, Perdana Menteri Vanuatu, Charlot Salwai akan membawa isu Papua Barat dalam retreat nanti.
“Ketika saya berbicara atas nama pemerintah Vanuatu, ketika koalisi terbentuk di Honiara tahun lalu, saya telah menjelaskan kepada Perdana Menteri Kepulauan Solomon, posisi kami jelas; Dukungan yang kami nyatakan bukan hanya dari pemerintah atau satu kelompok politik, namun dari seluruh populasi Vanuatu,” kata Naviti.
Koalisi Pasifik untuk Papua Barat di Pasifik di bentuk di Honiara pada bulan Juli lalu atas inisiatif Sogavare setelah pertemuan khusus MSG. Anggota awal koalisi ini adalah Kepulauan Solomon, Vanuatu, Kepulauan Marshall, Tonga, Front Pembebasan Kanak (FLNKS), United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) dan Pacific Islands Association of NGO (Piango). Saat ini dua negara, Tuvalu dan Nauru telah bergabung dalam koalisi ini. (*)
Jayapura, Jubi – PIANGO memandang Australia dan Selandia Baru berperan besar secara geopolitik hingga membuat hasil komunike Forum Kepulauan Pasifik Selatan (PIF) ke-47 tentang West Papua belum maksimal.
Pertemuan para pimpinan PIF sejak Rabu (7/9) berakhir pada retreat Minggu (11/9/2016). Isu pelanggaran HAM Papua tetap menjadi agenda dan perhatian para pemimpin negeri Pasifik.
Namun, menurut Direktur Eksekutif Asosiasi NGO Kepulauan Pasifik (PIANGO), Emele Duituturaga, kepada Jubi Selasa (13/9/2016), hasil komunike PIF-47 kali ini belum mencerminkan desakan masyarakat sipil, khususnya terhadap hak penentuan nasib sendiri West Papua.
“Tampak jelas bahwa geopolitik bermain dalam isu ini. Kami menduga para pemimpin kami tidak cukup berani dan tegas di hadapan negara-negara tetangga besar seperti Australia dan Selandia Baru,” ujar Duituturaga yang menyesalkan desakan masyarakat sipil, agar PIF medorong isu penentuan nasib sendiri West Papua ke PBB, belum tercermin dalam hasil Komunike PIF-47.
Namun demikian, lanjutnya, isu pelanggaran HAM Papua, yang tidak bisa digeser dari agenda PIF, adalah capaian penting.
“Kami tahu beberapa negara anggota PIF bahkan berharap isu West Papua dihapuskan sama sekali dari agenda PIF,” kata dia sambil memahami bahwa hasil komunike tersebut adalah pertarungan politik dan pengaruh.
Hasil komunike terkait isu West Papua di dalam poin 18 menyatakan, bahwa para pemimpin mengakui sensitivitas politik isu West Papua (Papua) dan bersepakat isu dugaan pelanggaran HAM di West Papua (Papua) harus tetap ada dalam agenda. Para pemimpin juga bersepakat pentingnya sebuah dialog terbuka dan konstruktif dengan Indonesia terkait masalah itu.
Menanggapi hasil Komunike PIF ke 47 yang belum memenuhi harapan perjuangan politik West Papua, Octovianus Mote, Sekretaris ULMWP kepada Jubi mengatakan dirinya tidak menganggap hal tersebut sebagai kekalahan.
“Kita menang dalam hal dukungan. Tahun ini hampir semua negeri mendukung Papua Barat. Tahun lalu masih sangat sedikit karena masih banyak yang belum tahu dan tidak bersuara,” ujarnya.
Dia mengaku justru lebih lebih optimis saat ini. “Saya lebih optimistik karena pemimpin kunci bersuara sama.”
PICWP Lanjutkan ke PBB
Terlepas dari hasil PIF-47 tersebut, Emele Duituturaga menegaskan bahwa PICWP, yang terdiri dari Kepulauan Solomon, Vanuatu, Republik Kepulauan Marshall, Nauru, Tuvalu dan PIANGO, adalah platform yang semakin bisa diandalkan untuk terus mendorong West Papua menjadi agenda di badan PBB.
“Kami sangat berbesar hati dan semakin positif karena anggota-anggota negara PICWP sudah secara terbuka tunjukkan komitmen mereka untuk mendorong isu West Papua ini.”
Pihaknya kedepan akan bekerja secara individual dengan negeri-negeri tersebut agar PBB mengintervensi isu pelanggaran HAM West Papua, sekaligus mendorong agenda penentuan nasib sendiri West Papua ke Majelis Umum PBB, Dewan HAM PBB, serta Sekretaris Jenderal PBB.
Selain itu, Perdana Menteri Samoa yang merupakan ketua PIF selanjutnya, menurut Duituturaga, sudah menunjukkan sinyal bahwa pihaknya akan menggelar pertemuan 16 anggota CSO dengan keseluruhan pimpinan PIF pada pertemuan PIF tahun depan di Samoa.
“Tidak terlalu banyak nilainya bertemu segelintir pimpinan PIF di Troika,” ujar Emele yang memandang usulan Perdana Menteri Samoa sebagai terobosan yang bagus untuk memberi tekanan lebih besar pada isu politik West Papua.
Victor Yeimo, Ketua Umum KNPB dalam pernyataan tertulisnya kepada Jubi Senin (12/9) mengakui beratnya pertarungan pengaruh di PIF terkait isu politik West Papua, khususnya karena hubungan ekonomi politik negara-negara besar seperti Australia dan Selandia Baru dengan Indonesia.
“Ada dua level perjuangan yang akan terus kami lakukan untuk perluasan dukungan terhadap hak penentuan nasib sendiri West Papua hingga ke PBB. Level pertama adalah dukungan gerakan sosial dan politik di Pasifik, dan level kedua adalah dukungan pemerintah negaranya. Keduanya bisa berjalan seiring, bisa juga tidak. Tetapi level pertama, yaitu dukungan gerakan sosial dan politik, adalah penentu,”
ujar Yeimo.
Dia juga menjelaskan bahwa solidaritas gerakan sosial dan politik di Australia, Selandia Baru dan Indonesia sendiri saat ini sedang bertumbuh.
“Pemerintah Australia, Selandia Baru dan Indonesia boleh jadi masih kepala batu untuk mengakui persoalan politik Papua, tetapi mereka tidak akan bisa membendung perluasan dukungan dari rakyatnya sendiri pada kami,” ujar Yeimo.(*)
Tuvalu’s PM Enele Sopoaga has added his country to the Pacific Coalition on West Papua Photo: RNZI / Jamie Tahana
Two more countries have joined the Pacific Coalition on West Papua, voicing their concerns over human rights abuses in the Indonesian province and asking that the United Nations intervene.
The group was set up by the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, in response to the Melanesian Spearhead Group’s inclusion of Indonesia as an observer and not granting West Papua membership of the group.
A number of Pacific heads of government have raised their concerns over West Papua at the United Nations, with the Tongan PM, ‘Akilisi Pohiva last year asking the UN to intervene.
At a meeting in Honolulu last week, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Enele Sopoaga, and Nauru’s ambassador to the Pacific nations, Marlene Moses joined the group.
Others who have already joined are Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia’s FLNKS, and the United Liberation Movement of West Papua and the Pacific Islands Alliance of Non-Governmental Organisations, or PANGO.
In August, the MSG leaders deferred a decision on West Papua’s membership bid after Fiji and PNG continued to oppose its application.
PMPress – The Pacific Coalition on West Papua (PCWP) is gaining momentum with the addition of two new members and the confirmation of the membership of two other parties who indicated their profound support for the initiative since its introduction in Honiara, Solomon Islands in July this year.
The PCWP was initiated by Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare of Solomon Islands who is also the Chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group with the aim of securing the support of the wider Pacific region for preposition of taking up the issue of West Papua with the United Nations for intervention. The initial membership comprises Solomon Islands Government, Vanuatu Government, Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) and the United Liberation Movement of West Papua and the Pacific Islands Alliance of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO).
The two new members are the governments of Tuvalu and the Republic of Nauru who were respectively represented at the first meeting of the in the capital of the American Aloha State, Honolulu, yesterday Friday 2nd September, by Prime Minister Hon Enele Sopoaga and Her Excellency Marlene Moses. The latter serves as Nauru’s Ambassador to the United Nations.
The other two parties who indicated support for the initiative when it was introduced in Honiara at the margin of the 4th Pacific Islands Development Summit are the Kingdom of Tonga and the Republic of Marshall Islands. The expressed support of the governments of these two countries was confirmed today with the attendance of Prime Minister Hon Akilisi Pohiva and the Republic of Marshall Islands Minister for Public Works, Hon David Paul.
Members and friends of the Pacific Coalition on West Papua with the Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor at the East-West Centre in Honolulu.
All the initial PCWP members were represented at the meeting except for the Republic of Vanuatu Government. The Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor was also present at the meeting.
In his opening remarks today, Prime Minister Sogavare said the nations of the Pacific have a duty as closest neigbours to West Papua to address the issues of concern to West Papuan.
He said the right to self-determination being denied to the people of West Papua since the last 50 years is a fundamental principle of the United Nations Charter, just like the rights to life and dignity that they are also denied as a result of their self-determination pursuit.
He added that the intention of the PCWP is perfectly in line with the principles of human rights and democracy, the very basis of the UN Charter, which all UN Member states should adhere to and protect.
Members and friends of the Pacific Coalition on West Papua during their meeting.
Prime Minister Sogavare said it would not be an easy task to unwind the wrongs that have been perpetrated by the complications and cover-up on the issue of West Papua over the years and this is where the need for collaborative and strategic approaches to this issue comes in.
“Only by working together and strategically dealing with the issue of West Papua can we accomplish the objective of our mission,” he said.
PIF Secretary-General Dame Taylor in her contribution to the discussions presented the forum’s position on the issue. She said the 46th PIF Summit in Port Moresby in 2015 resolved to send a fact-finding mission to West Papua, however the Indonesian Government sees the term ‘fact-finding’ as offensive and therefore that resolution impending implementation.
Dame Taylor said she has meet with the PIF’s Chair, Prime Minister O’Neill of Papua New Guinea and also the Indonesian President on the way forward on the resolution and the PIF’s Chair will meet with the President.
The Secretary-General of the ULMWP, Mr Octovanius Mote said the ULMWP represents the freedom movement of West Papua, which continues to pursue the rights of West Papuans to their land, self-determination and all other human rights enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
Prime Minister Sapoaga of Tuvalu said his country fully appreciates and sympathises with the aspirations and wishes of the people of West Papua to be on their own and fully realises their rights to exist as a country and determine their own continuation as a people.
The Pacific Coalition of West Papua members and friends discussing the way forward for the struggles for self-determination by the people of West Papua.
Minister Paul of the Republic of Marshall Islands said his country sees the issue of West Papua from a humanitarian perspective and humanitarian issues are at the forefront of the Marshall Islands Government.
The FLNKS representative, Mr Rodrigue Tiavouane said the FLNKS fully supports the PCWP initiative and the strategy by which it will be implemented.
He said the FLNKS went through the same process with its self-determination bid- starting with the Melanesian Spearhead Group then on to the Pacific Islands Forum and finally the UN Committee 24 (Special Committee on Decolonisation).
Prime Minister Pohiva of Tonga said it is a moral obligation to address the human rights abuses in West Papua and deteriorating conditions and call for self-determination and independence.
He said at the 70th United Nations General Assembly last year he spoke of how the objectives of good governance and accountability are all impossible without full support for human rights of people in areas of conflict throughout the world including the Pacific Islands.
The Solomon Islands Government Special Envoy on West Papua, Mr Rex Horoi, left end, at the Pacific Coalition on West Papua meeting.
Ambassador Moses of Tuvalu said it is important that the issue of West Papua be taken to UN C24 and to be successful it is important for the Pacific to have strong leadership in pursuing it in a strategic manner.
She said what works some people does not always work for others.
PIANGO Tonga Member, Mr Drew Havea said he was encouraged by the leadership on the issue of West Papua displayed by Prime Minister Sogavare.
He said PIANGO acknowledges the pain of the people of West Papua as the pain of the Pacific and would like to urge Pacific leaders to come to an agreement to stop the violence in West Papua and find a peaceful and dignified pathway to self-determination.
The meeting concluded with the expression of commitment by all PCWP members to their mission objective.
Two events of highest significance in the context of global history of decolonisation are taking place in the Pacific:
The first has been the gathering of 79 nations for the 8th Summit of ACP (the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States) heads of state and government in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 30 May-June 1.
Secondly, the twice postponed summit meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Honiara, Solomon Islands, to decide on the application of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) for full membership at the MSG.
These two events raise an important question for both West Papuans and for the international community. Will West Papua have their moment of solidarity from MSG and ACP member states, their brothers and sisters who were once in the same predicament of colonialism, or will West Papua continue to be forgotten?
Interrupted decolonisation In the third millennial, a last call from the great global decolonisation period of 1960s seems to fade away.
Right after the World War 2, Africa, Asia, Caribbean and the Pacific, which for a long period had been under European colonialism, claimed their rights for a truly modern entity: nation states.
State and non-state actors played their equal roles in the national claims making and state making enterprises.
While big countries fought the Cold War, these newly emerged states attempted to assert their new role in shaping the world politics, through the Non-Aligned Movement and the 1955 Bandung Conference among others.
In the Pacific in particular, the wave of decolonisation swept the region in the 1970s with the plan was set up in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Countries, such as Fiji, the Cook Islands, Nauru, and Tonga received their independence early in the 1970s while in Melanesia decolonisation began with Papua New Guinea in 1975 (followed by the Solomon Islands in 1978 and Vanuatu in 1980).
Not only in terms of the times, many countries in the Pacific also went through different decolonisation processes compared to their African or Asian counterparts.
Violent struggle For Asian, African and some Caribbean countries they had to go through a rather violent anti-colonial struggle.
This would make so much difference in the regional perception of decolonisation particularly in the case of West Papua, the last colonial outpost of the Dutch government who continues to fight an anti-colonial struggle against Indonesia.
It is easy to chart the failed promise of anti-colonial nationalism as a narrative where many post-colonial nation-states were already predetermined to become failed or fragile states riddled by corruption, or where rule of law may not extend far from the capital city.
But what is evident in this period was the spirit of building a new and better life outside the European model of governance. The establishment of the ACP is a prime example.
As an organisation whose membership consists of newly independent states of Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific, the ACP Group seeks to focus on sustainable development of its member states and participate in the establishing “a new, fairer, and more equitable world order”.
Fairer world The irony of this dream, however, lies in places that did not become independent during 1960s decolonisation wave, let alone manage to participate in the initiative of sustainable development and in establishing a new, fairer, and more equitable world order.
In this case, West Papua is exemplary. Being promised to have their own state in 1961, West Papua failed to gain their independence as a result of a questionable process of political transfer to Indonesia.
Historical accounts demonstrate that the 1969 referendum, known as the “Act of Free Choice”, occurred under the strict control of the Indonesian military and a weak supervision from the United Nations.
The standard principle of “one man one vote” was violated by the fact that only 1025 of a total 700,000 population, handpicked by Indonesian authorities, voted in the referendum.
Papuans did not have a chance to exercise their right for self-determination. Until today, West Papua remains seeking an international recognition of their nation. And their call rings rightly loud.
Unfinished struggles West Papua does not give up on their decolonisation agenda after more than 50 years of living with Indonesia.
Indonesia claims that development has brought progress for the life of the Papuans but Papuan experiences tell the opposite. Hazardous development, combined with human rights abuses, land grabbing, intensive resources extractions, and massive migrations that make Papuans becoming a minority in their own land have led to Papuans’ self awareness as “We are in danger ” or “We will lose everything”.
In fact there is a strong feeling that “there is no future with(in) Indonesia”.
Recently, West Papuan anti-colonial movements have transformed themselves into a more consolidated mobilisation involving non-violent and urban-based resistance groups. Their international political lobbying and actions have been more effective thanks to the formation of ULMWP as an umbrella organiSation.
They are seeking internationally facilitated dialogues and negotiations, incorporating not only development and human rights issues, but also the neglected rights for self-determination.
Interestingly, a number of nations in the Pacific, including members of the MSG began to hear Papuans’ cries for help. Despite the pressure from Indonesia and its international allies, those countries exercise their national sovereignty in international politics and show their solidarity for West Papua.
The Papuan struggle, past and present, is a struggle of an almost forgotten nation; accordingly the future of West Papua partly depends on the solidarity of post-colonial African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries.
West Papua’s call for solidarity rings rightly loud. Many countries have heard their cries.
The question is whether they choose to listen or not. Their choice is not only political, but also an ethical one but certainly it will reflect these countries’ commitment to their own decolonisation agenda.
Veronika Kusumaryati and Cypri Daleare social anthropologists and historians based in Epouto, Indonesia, and Berlin, Germany.
