Jayapura, Jubi – Youth, Student and Papuan People Movement (GempaR) urged the Indonesian Government to open the democratic space and immediately open the access for foreign journalists in Papua.
“We urge the Indonesian Government to open space for democracy in Papua as promised,” the Secretary General of GempaR, Samuel Wamsiwor told Jubi in Abepura last week.
He said Papua is the most isolated conflict area towards democracy and foreign journalists in the world. And the silencing of democracy is not a fiction; because the Indonesian Government neatly covered the access of factual information occurred in Papua for the last decade. “Papuan people continue to be slaughtered and killed for no apparent reason with different stigma. In addition, the space for human right activists in Papua is sealed. They’re even being hunted like animal. And today we ask the government, patting the chest Indonesian said it has the space for democracy, but where is it?” Womsiwor said.
They also asked the government to immediately open the access to foreign journalists to freely make the reportage in Papua to look closer on Papua and to reveal the state’s crime against Papuan people.
Meanwhile, youth representative, Philipus said Papuans today miss a real and open democracy to express their aspiration without any pressure from nobody. “We really missed and expected the openness of democracy and free access to foreign journalists in Papua. If Indonesia is a democratic state, thus it must open the space for democracy,” he said.
So far, GempaR observed what was happening in Papua is the authoritarian process. It’s basically the same with what had occurred in the new order regime that is the silencing of the media access and of voice of humanity. For this reason, GempaR asked the government to immediately open the space for democracy in Papua. (Arnold Belau/rom)
