The Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) is an institution that has an important position for indigenous Papuans. The election of its members must not be done haphazardly. For instance, prospective members must have a high sense of nationalism. Read on to know more about it.
Papuan People’s Council (MRP)
The formation of the Papuan People’s Council (Indonesian: Majelis Rakyat Papua – MRP) cannot be separated from its long history. The government accepted the MRP formation proposal after they announced the creation of new districts in Papua.
In fact, the idea to form MRP comes from the Special Autonomy assistance team. This team at that time was chaired by Frans Alexander Wospakrik, rector of Cenderawasih University in Jayapura, in 2001.
Purpose of Formation
Previously, it was difficult for Papuans to get the opportunity to hold positions in the government, such as governors, regents, members of the People’s Representative Council, and so on.
Therefore, for Papuans, this institution is very important. With this institution, they have a place to express their aspirations and be directly involved in the development of their region as well as Indonesia.
So, in short, the purpose of this institution was to protect the basic rights of indigenous Papuans. With MRP, they can involve themselves and determine policies related to their land’s development, Papua.
Membership in Papuan People’s Assembly
The MRP membership comes from Orang Asli Papua (OAP), totaling around 51 people. They are divided into 3 working groups: customary representatives, religious representatives, and women’s representatives. Each group contains about 17 people.
Additionally, the three working groups’ representatives have their respective duties:
- The task of the Customary representatives, for example, is taking the best steps to protect indigenous Papuan customs and culture.
- Meanwhile, women’s representatives have tasks related to empowering and protecting women so that they have equal rights in development.
- The last one, religious representatives have the duty to maintain and strengthen inter-religious harmony in the land of Papua.
In general, those who are elected to be the chairman of the Papuan People’s Assembly have a term of 5 years. Meanwhile, the committee set several stages to select prospective members of the MRP.
The Spirit of Nationalism in the Membership of the MRP
Former MRP member, Dorince Mehue, said that prospective members of MRP Papua who will serve for the 2023-2028 period must have spirits of nationalism and build a love for Papua and the Republic of Indonesia.
Here is the summary of the figure’s speech:
- The spirit of nationalism is realized by maintaining the state ideology, namely Pancasila and the Constitution (UUD 1945).
- In addition, each prospective member must also adhere to the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) principle.
- Dorince also gave an example that what the previous members did, namely suing the central government regarding special autonomy, was contrary to the pillars of nationalism. It also did not show the spirit of nationalism to empower their homeland.
- Therefore, as a Papuan, Dorince also invites all prospective new members to maintain their faith and have an attitude that reflects a fighter for the rights of indigenous Papuans.
- When becoming a member of the MRP Papua, a person must know and understand the rules for implementing the MRP. That way, they will not be trapped in political dynamics that can disrupt MRP performance or create new problems instead of solving ones.
- In addition, it is important for each member to have a strong commitment to upholding nationalism and national values.
- Not only that, every member who has been appointed to serve in the MRP for a new period needs to improve coordination with various parties to optimize their duties in the MRP. Among them are working with governors, community components, regional representative institutions, and many others.
Dorince also added that he hoped that the members of the Papuan People’s Assembly for the coming period would be able to bring good changes. Not only that, but Dorince also invites all parties to uphold cultural values and fight for people’s rights politely and elegantly.
