The journey of a young Papuan activist

Ambrosius Mulait

On my last visit to Indonesia, I stopped by a Papuan student residence on Java Island.

Much to my delight, I was warmly welcomed by the boarders and introduced to Ambrosius Mulait, chairman of the Alliance of Central Highland Papuan Students in Indonesia (AMPTPI). This is a youth organization that has been actively voicing the aspirations of Papuans across Indonesia for almost twenty years. Starting over coffee with Ambrosius, better known as Ambros, our conversation widened into a long serious discussion:

Papua issue at a glance

Papua is a territory in the Pacific that has had many problems since it joined the Republic of Indonesia in the 1960s. Given the current situation, the future of the Papuan people is becoming difficult to determine. Human rights violations are increasingly prevalent, especially during the presidency of Joko Widodo or Jokowi (2014-present). Concerns or rather distrust of the Papuan people towards the Indonesian government seem to have reached a critical point. The economic development that Jokowi has been proud of is colored by racism, ecocide, and destruction of indigenous Papuan culture.

From Papua to Jakarta

Ambrosius Mulait is a 29-year-old native Papuan from Wamena. He holds a Master's degree from the prestigious Institute of Domestic Government (IPDN). Currently living in Jakarta, Ambros' journey from the interior of Papua to the capital of Indonesia (4000 km distance) was an odyssey:

"After finishing high school in Wamena in 2012, I went to Jayapura, the capital of Papua, with plans to enroll at the USTJ Campus majoring in Informatics Engineering. However, after only a short stay in Jayapura, I received news that my father was sick. With my remaining pocket money of 400,000 rupiah, I quickly returned to Wamena by Trigana plane, only to see my father pass away one month later. With this sad situation coupled with my family's poor economic background, I decided to quit college and work. However, my mother still encouraged me to continue my studies.

With my savings from selling nokens (traditional Papuan bags) made by my mother, I was finally able to collect 5 million rupiah. With this money I went to Jakarta, because a close friend told me that I could be accepted at the College of Government Sciences (STIPAN). And sure enough, I entered this campus and graduated in 2016. I completed the post-graduate program at the Institute of Domestic Government (IPDN) in 2020.

Papua's history that was hidden

In 2013, together with my Papuan friends, I started to join nonviolent actions that support human rights. I spent most of my free time at the internet cafe reading articles from independent media which discuss the real situation in Papua that has been hidden by the Indonesian government.

I remember when I was in elementary school, my mother often told me about the atrocities committed by the Indonesians after the annexation of Papua in 1969, especially during the Koteka military operation in 1977, where my mother's brother was killed. To complement the self-taught knowledge I got from my parents, I started to expand it by looking up all the sources I could read. I then realized the huge difference between historical facts and the story told by the Indonesian government through the school curriculum.

Since childhood, Papuans of my generation have been brainwashed to believe the Indonesian government's historical narratives, such as the glory of the Javanese Majapahit kingdom in medieval times whose dominance reached all the way to Papua, when there is no archaeological evidence to support such claim. It is also said that some Papuan figures in the 20th century fought for Indonesian independence, when in fact they did not. Indonesia's ruthless moves to annex Papua through the TRIKORA military operation in 1961, then the New York agreement in 1962 and finally the sham referendum in 1969 commonly called the 'Act of free choice' are told in such a way as to appear as heroic historical moments.

In Jakarta, I had to work hard to pay my tuition fees. I also witnessed how difficult life was for many residents of this Indonesia's largest city. Misery was everywhere. I asked myself how Jakarta could possibly promise prosperity for Papuans, while in its own region the problem of poverty had not been resolved. From there I began to realize that Papuans don't actually need anything from Indonesia. Instead, it is Indonesia that needs Papua's natural resources.

Ideological jargons like "Indonesian unity is a fixed price" or the patriotic refrain "From Sabang (Sumatra) to Merauke (Papua)" are not really about nationalism. They were used as tools by the Indonesian regime to perpetuate its grip on those who wanted to be free from Indonesian tyranny.

University studies and human rights activism

I became interested in human rights issues in 2013 when I joined the Papuan youth organization AMPTPI. For more than sixty years, the Indonesian regime in Papua has never stopped carrying out extrajudicial killings of indigenous Papuans. This encouraged me to become more militant in advocating for my fellow Papuans through demonstrations and seminars throughout Indonesia, especially in Jakarta.

Every time a demonstration was held, I made a press release, printed copies and distributed them to my fellow students and lecturers at the college, so that they could get accurate updates on Papua.

Unfortunately, this only earned me the disapproval of my lecturers, many of whom were affiliated with the army and the interior ministry. In their eyes, I lacked patriotism and tarnished the reputation of the university. Meanwhile, in my eyes, their behavior did not reflect true Indonesian patriotism, but merely the mentality of Indonesia's ruling regime. Their nationalism is so shallow that they blind their conscience to the fact that the Indonesian government's policies have resulted in so much suffering for indigenous Papuans.

But at the end of my studies at STIPAN a lecturer who was also my mentor, Mr. Wesly Pandjaitan, an Indonesian from the Batak tribe, sympathized with me. We became friends and until now still like to discuss topics around the Papua issue. I gave him some books written by Markus Haluk, who is now the secretary of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP).

When I was studying at IPDN I was offered by one of my supervisors to work at the State Audit Board, but I refused. I preferred to document and advocate for human rights cases in Papua. For me this is more meaningful than enjoying a comfortable career in a corrupt government.

Indonesian racism and Papuan genocide

Today, the indigenous Papuan population is already small and on the verge of extinction. They make up no more than one percent of the population in Indonesia. If no one speaks out, Papuans will be wiped out like Aborigines in Australia. Papua continues to be plagued by conflict and it is unclear when the Indonesian state will stop this madness.

The root cause of all the problems in Papua is racism, which is built and maintained by the Indonesian state. Papuans have tried in various ways to resist it and the peak of their resistance came in August-September 2019 after an incident in Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city: a Papuan student dormitory was attacked by reactionary mobs and its occupants were shouted at "Monkeys!". This was the eruption of a series of events that have been submerged since 60 years of Papua being under the grip of Indonesia. 

The Papuan people are often stigmatized and there is Papuaphobia at all levels of Indonesian society. The dignity of Papuans is not respected by both the elite and ordinary Indonesians in general. The antipathy towards black people is not new in Indonesia. Several racist incidents occurred throughout the 1960s and 1980s.

Although Indonesia declared independence in 1945, after three centuries of systemic racism from Dutch colonial rule, racial or ethnic discrimination did not go away. During the presidency of General Suharto (1967-1998), commonly referred to as the New Order, not only Papuans but also Chinese in Indonesia were discriminated against and often scapegoated as a parasitic group that only knew how to reap profits. 

In the era of democratic reform following the fall of Suharto, President Abdurrahman Wahid or Gus Dur sought to de-stigmatize minorities, especially the Chinese and Papuan communities. Under Gus Dur's administration, Chinese were recognized as indigenous Indonesians. Papuan aspirations were taken into account and the Morning Star Papuan flag was allowed to fly. But unfortunately this did not last after Gus Dur stepped down in 2001.

Being criminalized for activism

The Papuan people were being genocided slowly but surely. Therefore, in August - September 2019, Papuans spontaneously and in unison took action in dozens of cities across Indonesia. I myself was involved in a peaceful demonstration in Jakarta. Papuan Morning Star flag raised in front of the presidential palace facing the Indonesian Red and White flag. For the Indonesian authorities, this was a provocation and I was arrested along with several colleagues, one of whom was Surya Anta. He was the first Indonesian to be made a political prisoner for supporting an independent Papua. Today there are many 'Surya Anta'. Young Indonesians are increasingly aware of the colonialist practices of the Indonesian state in Papua. 

When we were detained by the Metropolitan Police in the Mako Brimob Kelapa II Terrorist Detention Center, Mrs. Yenny Wahid, daughter of President Gus Dur, visited us with an offer to become bail bondsmen. During the discussion, Yenny asked for suggestions on who could be a bail bondsman, and we proposed the names of Rev. Beny Giyay and Rev. Socratez Yoman. Meanwhile, Yenny asked Surya Anta to submit his guarantor. I admonished Yenny and sent her away: "Are you here to bail us out or are you just here to separate us from Comrade Surya? Madam, we, Surya, were arrested because Papuans have problems. You can't separate us from each other!" Although we were treated to McDonald's chicken rice, it ended with my refusal. Yenny asked for photos too, which I forbade because I felt toyed with.

At a hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court, I was charged with treason. This is not a trivial charge. Therefore during the trial I was always careful to maintain the dignity of myself, my family and my people. I was fortunate to be accompanied by many lawyers from several advocacy teams such as LBH Jakarta, YLBHI, Kontras and there were many supporters present.

There were also some Indonesian intelligence officers who observed the trial. They offered to nominate me as a candidate for Jayawijaya Regency DPRD without having to contest the election. But I flatly refused their offer. There had been many military operations in the area: indigenous Papuans had been killed by Indonesian soldiers and I did not want to be involved and bear their blood. Many Indonesian officials have benefited from my case and that of other Papuan activists. The state security personnel who arrested us all got promotions, meanwhile my friends and I were imprisoned for nine months.

Keep fighthing until Papua is independent

Was I ever tempted to abandon this struggle? Absolutely not! If my commitment was not serious, I might have been tempted by offers of positions and other privileges. However, my conscience has always affirmed me to remain faithful and honest. Actually there is one offer that can tempt me, namely: Indonesia admits its sins and apologizes to the Papuan people by giving them the right to self-determination.  But I doubt the Indonesian government can humble itself to such an extent.

I chose to fight without cooperating with the Indonesian government. However, I still appreciate all Papuans who fought within the framework of the Republic of Indonesia, such as the late Filep Karma, a genuine civil servant. For him, Papuan independence is nothing less than the realization of the Indonesian constitution's preamble which says that "Independence is the right of all nations and for this reason, all colonialism in the world must be abolished..." In other words, Indonesia's colonization of Papua must be ended, for the sake of the dignity of the Indonesian state."

Thanks to Ambros for his moving testimony. It shows us that some are ready to lose everything for the freedom of Papuans.