Jayapura, Jubi – Indonesia strongly rejects outside intervention in the country’s internal affairs and accusations of human rights violations in Papua leveled by activists and rights groups from the Pacific were politically motivated, the government said.
The Indonesian government on Wednesday (14/9/2016) reaffirmed its strategic position in the Pacific after the recent Pacific Islands Forum Summit.
The Indonesian delegation at the summit said the Pacific region is important for Indonesia and reaffirmed that geographically and culturally Indonesia is the part of the Pacific and 11 million of 240 million of its population have the Melanesian cultural background.
In response the PIF Communiqué related to human rights violations in West Papua, the Indonesian delegation said it respects the decision taken by PIC to state the Papuan is a sensitive issue for Indonesia and not put the suggestion to send a fact finding mission to Papua in the result of the communiqué this year.
The Indonesian Delegation considered the accusation on the human rights violation in Papua from several individuals and foreign NGOs was based on the awful intention and political reason. It also affirmed that Indonesia has a credible national mechanism related to the progress and protection on the human rights.
The Indonesian Government was stated to have commitment to work together constructively with the PIF country members, and Indonesia also could become a bridge between Pacific and Asia and Indian Ocean.
On the other hand, the researcher from Abdurrahman Wahid Center (AWC) Dr. Budi Hernawan some time ago regretted the action taken by the Indonesian Government, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who stated refusing to be dictated by the outsider but does not have any clear policy of bargaining.
“I think the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is likely to enjoy to use the old way by buying the voice of PNG and Fiji. The Rejection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the offer of ‘fact finding team’ and dialogue by MSG, on the other hand want to show that Indonesia is refusing to be dictated to. This is the policy line of the Jokowi’s government,” said Budi who has been involved in the research and advocacy on human right issues in Papua for years.
However, he also stressed that the action taken by the ministry of foreign affairs was only to strengthen the mobilization in the Pacific. “Is it aware of consequences or not? They are also against the offer from the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) related to Special Envoy Papua, so it is not clear what they want to,” he said.
At the end, continued Budi, what happened is not a new offer for Papua but just another reactive activities. As known earlier, as long as June 2016, many civilian groups, human rights activists, human rights attorney including the Commission I of the Papua Legislative Council are pessimistic to finally rejected the investigation human rights team formed by the Indonesian Government through the Coordinating Minister of Politic, Legal, Security Affairs in last May.
“It’s the government’s team. I don’t believe it. People recruited in the team made us feel pessimistic. Moreover some cases of human rights violation in Papua are targeted to be settled within this year,” said the Secretary of Commission I Mathea Mamoyo in last June.
The team has also been rejected by the ULMWP working team at the time it was established. “This team is only a part of Jakarta scamming to avoid the questions from the international community about the implementation of the Universal Periodic Review by UN Human Rights Council, as well as to switch the opinion and to avoid the questions from the countries joined in the Pacific Islands Forum,” according to Sam Awom who represented ULMWP in Indonesia.
While the team under the Coordinating Minister of Politic, Legal and Security Affairs is suspected against the law. “I considered the Integrated Team under the Coordinating Minister of Politic, Legal and Security Affairs is against the Law No. 39 Year 1999 on human rights and the Law No. 26 Year 2000 on the human rights court. The establishment is clearly ignoring the task and duty of the National Human Rights Commission that has regulated in the Law No 39 Year 1999 on human rights and the Law No 26 Year 2000 on the human rights court,” said Yan Christian Warinussi, Papuan human rights attorney at the Papua Lawyers Club in last June. (*/rom)
