West Papua is experiencing conflicts over independence and various issues regarding the territorial division. This problem has been experienced by Indonesia since independence in 1945, during which time Papua was still controlled by the Dutch until 1969.
In the pepera meeting, the state of Indonesia was not present. However, if you look at this history, there is a nationalism seeding that is different from other regional countries, so the starting conditions are different from other regions in Indonesia.
There are still several armed separatist groups in Papua in the central mountains, for example, the Nduga incident. This was done by taking residents hostage in Timika and the death of members of the TNI as well as the occurrence of gunfire.
The existence of various youth groups on social media as well as internationally from political groups is proof of the seriousness of the conflict in West Papua. There are at least eight perspectives in viewing the problems in Papua.
These perspectives are political, government, defense, and security, environment, law and human rights, health, socio-cultural and economic perspectives. The government carries out various activities and programs to support defense in Papua.
However, the issue of racism rolling in the middle of the government reappeared to those who wanted a referendum or an independent Papua. It is as if all programs made by the government have been forgotten.
The Problems Faced by West Papua are Capable of Dividing the Republic of Indonesia
The problems in Papua are divided into three, namely the internationalization of the Papuan issue, the resolution of human rights issues, and the development and implementation of special autonomy.
This resulted in the raising of the Morning Star flag which made many people question the sovereignty of Papua. The central government has consolidated various efforts to minimize conflict and restore unity.
The defense of the state in order to maintain the sovereignty of the state as well as the TNI and various apparatuses has made various efforts before the emergence of actions in a number of areas.
In addition, the addition of 1 Brigadier Raiden and placing an air squadron in eastern Indonesia to back up eastern Indonesia. Not only that, the government carried out diplomacy related to the postponement of military rotation and a humanitarian approach.
The government’s humanitarian effort to defend Papua’s sovereignty and defense is to form a malnutrition task force. This is also done to minimize the number of people affected by malnutrition in Asmat.
The TNI commander is also directly involved in mediating with various traditional, religious, youth, and women leaders in West Papua. With this humanist side, the government hopes to be able to manage conflicts with the applicable instruments.
Government Approach to Creating Justice and Peace
Several attempts have been made to achieve a humane approach to the Papuan people. Solidity between the TNI and POLRI that continues to be built is a positive thing in handling the problems in Papua.
Ministries and institutions also need to be implemented in collaboration with the private sector and the community. It is hoped that this will foster the spirit of collaborative governance. Various strategies and evaluations of the Papuan conflict have become the focus.
The government must be good at playing the narrative of an incident where the perpetrators of violence and crime are armed separatists but are not exposed to the international community. Then the narrative will turn around with the topic of harming Indonesia.
The pros and cons of a good and balanced narrative must be rolled out quickly and precisely so that the momentum can be put to good use. The conflict incident in West Papua resulted in the weakening of the defense by destroying various buildings and facilities.
This is very unfortunate by many because the masses admit that they are sorry but the number of losses due to this incident has reached tens of billions. The government has so far had the political will to put forward a holistic approach for the security of the Papuan people.
Government Funding to Build Regional Welfare and Security
The government has made every effort to raise the welfare of West Papua, which has been feeling like a stepchild and is asking for independence. Several developments and volunteer activities to help the Papuan community.
• Infrastructure development
Infrastructure development carried out by the Indonesian government from 2001 to 2019 has reached more than Rp. 90 trillion. However, it is still necessary to conduct a thorough evaluation related to special economic policies.
• Sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia in Papua
The sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia in the land of Papua must be established internationally because of the large amount of slanted news related to Indonesia.
• Law enforcement
The government must be observant to see the modus operandi of the separatist groups and map out their movements. Which one is taking advantage of which is a matter of history and which is a combination of them.
The efforts made by the government to fight for sovereignty and maintain the security of Papua must be consistent. The government must also be able to deal with various outstanding issues regarding the conflict in West Papua.
