Papuan security issues have become the concern of many groups because from time to time, conflicts are still ongoing. For this reason, many parties expressed their concern that a more humane approach to addressing the problem should be carried out. Read on to find out more.
Security Issues in Papua
The conflict in Papua is an unfinished problem that occurred dozens of years ago. Many things become the cause of the Papuan conflict in the land of Papua.
One of them is the marginalization and effects of discrimination against indigenous Papuans. Various things cause this marginalization and discrimination. Among them are economic development and mass migration that has occurred since 1970.
Apart from that, the failure of development in various fields also contributed to the root cause of the conflict. This prolonged conflict has also claimed many victims from both civilians and police personnel. One of them is the attack in the Nduga district. The attack that occurred in 2018 killed 31 construction workers.
Solution According to Lenis Kogoya
President Jokowi held a meeting with Lenis Kogoya, Head of the Indigenous Peoples’ Organization (Indonesian: Lembaga Masyarakat Adat – LMA) of the land of Papua. He actually also works as an Expert Staff to the Office of the President’s Staff for politics and security.
During the meeting, security issues in Papua were one of the topics discussed. According to him, currently, people are worried about security in the land of Papua.
He also conveyed to President Jokowi that he did not want bloodshed in the land of Papua. Instead, he invited the president to bring peace to the land of Papua and make Wamena a home for peace. In other words, peace must take precedence over violence and even massacres.
Additionally, Kogoya said that the problems that occurred in Papua might be resolved in a family way. That is, he suggested to the president that LMA get the authority to mediate using the clan-family approach.
For example, if the party there is surnamed Kogoya, it is the party with the Kogoya last name sent to mediate. Meanwhile, if the other party is from the Wenda clan, then the person with the Wenda last name is sent to mediate, and so on.
So, each clan is responsible for mediating with their fellow clans in Papua. That way, the situation in the land of Papua will be more secure and conducive.
Proposed Budget Flow to Indigenous Peoples Institutions
In addition, Kogoya also suggested to the President that the budget flowing to the provincial government be channeled to LMA in each district.
The budget can later be used by customary institutions to facilitate security efforts in their respective customary territories. In this way, harmony and peace in the land of Papua can be maintained.
Not only that, but he also hopes for the involvement of institutions in Papua that the state recognizes. They are the Papuan People’s Council (Indonesian:Majelis Rakyat Papua – MRP) and the Papuan People’s Representative Council (Indonesian:Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Papua – DPRP).
He hopes these two institutions can convey aspirations and recommendations to every customary territory in Papua. So, all parties come together and deliberately think about steps to resolve the security problems for the people of Papua.
Meanwhile, President Jokowi has also sought an economic approach to overcome the conflict in Papua. During his term of office as president, he attempted to increase the focus on economic and infrastructure development in Papua.
This is reflected, among other things, through the development of PYCH as a forum for Papuan youths to channel their aspirations and creativity in various fields of life.
Besides, as stated by Lenis, the Papuan security issues can only be solved by solving the root of the problem in a family way, namely through mediation and dialogue. Of course, this involves the mediation of a neutral third party, for example, figures from the LMA.
