Indonesia's lies about Papua
An Indonesian human rights activist in exile once said that genocide was not started by weapons, but by the words of those in power.
Aware of the silent genocide perpetrated by my own government against Papuans, I strongly agree with this statement. Observing the mechanism, I realized that a powerful way to destroy a nation is to distort its history.
I was saddened when I realized how many false narratives I had swallowed whole while at school. The facts I present below are just some of the historical lies about Papua that are taught through the Indonesian curriculum. Unfortunately, these are still being told to millions of young Indonesians:
1. Papua was part of the legendary Indonesian kingdom Majapahit.
Majapahit was a kingdom on the island of Java in medieval times. According to the ancient Javanese book Negarakertagama, Majapahit's dominion was immense, stretcheing from the island of Sumatra to Papua. In the 1930s, a number of Indonesian nationalists claimed Majapahit as the forerunner of modern Indonesia. But in reality, the Negarakertagama narrative is in doubt due to a lack of archaeological evidence.
Related to Papua, to date, no inscriptions, temples or ruins of ancient Javanese palaces have been found there. Majapahit's glory is more legend than historical truth. Worse still, Indonesian leaders are mostly Javanese and, consciously or unconsciously, have used this legend to justify their supremacy.
2. Papuans took part in the Indonesian Youth Pledge.
Indonesians have been taught that their country was built on the spirit of 'Unity in Diversity'. This was confirmed when youth representatives from several Indonesian islands then colonized by the Dutch gathered in Jakarta for a congress in late October 1928. Despite their cultural differences, they vowed to unite as one nation, Indonesia. This event was recorded in Indonesian history as the Youth Pledge.
Two Papuans, Poreu Ohee and Aitai Karubaba, were reportedly present. However, upon research, I found that they were emissaries of the Sultan of Tidore from Maluku and not representatives of Papuan youth at the time. It should be remembered that the dominance of the Tidore sultanate in Papua was not the will of the local indigenous people as the Tidoreans used to exploit Papuans as slaves. Overall, Papuans do not have much in common with Indonesians.
3. Papuans fought for Indonesian independence.
At least five Papuans have been declared Indonesian national heroes. One of them, Frans Kasiepo, is even immortalized on a 10,000 rupiah note. This gives the impression that the Indonesian government has great respect for Papuans. However, in reality, these so-called Papuan heroes did not fight for Indonesian sovereignty. They simply facilitated the incorporation of Papua into the Republic of Indonesia.
Most Papuans I know regard Kasiepo et al as traitors. Although many Papuans opposed the Dutch colonization, it does not mean they fought for Indonesia.
4. Papua is an integral part of the Indonesian Republic.
The Indonesian regime has always claimed that the territory now called the United Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) is all former Dutch colonies incorporated in the East Indies. However, in December 1949, the Netherlands handed over sovereignty to Indonesia only from the islands of Sumatra to Maluku. Papua was not included as it was a seperate entity from the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) since 1910. Unlike the latter whose government was centered in Batavia (now Jakarta), Dutch New Guinea (Papua) was under the administration of Hollandia (now Jayapura).
Also worth noting that the Indonesian state recognized by the Netherlands in 1949 was the United States of Indonesia (RIS), where the Republic of Indonesia (RI) was just one among several existing states in the Indonesian archipelago. The United Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) was only formed on August 17, 1950 after the United States of Indonesia (RIS) was dissolved by President Sukarno.
5. Papua was a Dutch military base to disrupt Indonesia.
Indonesia considered the Dutch military presence in Papua until the early 1960s a threat to its sovereignty. The reality was quite the opposite: Indonesia opened several of its ports as Soviet military bases to help carry out a massive invasion of Papua. Almost all of Indonesia's war equipments at the time, from submarines to fighter planes, were supplied by eastern bloc countries. Around 3,000 Soviet soldiers were ready to fight in Indonesian uniforms.
It was this tense situation that led the US government under John F. Kennedy to pressure the Netherlands to hand over Papua to Indonesia in 1962. The US wanted to prevent Indonesia from getting further involved with the communist bloc.
6. Indonesia liberated Papuans from Dutch colonialism.
Indonesians have been brainwashed into idolizing their first president, Sukarno. For many Indonesians, Sukarno's call on December 19, 1961 to liberate Papua from Dutch colonialism showed how great he was. In fact, this was pure military aggression that violated human rights, international law, and even Indonesia's own constitution which recognizes the freedom of all nations. Sukarno's statement labeling the newly established State of West Papua on December 1, 1961 as a Dutch puppet actually showed how he belittled Papuans, as if they were too backward to determine their own fate.
In addition, the incorporation of Papua into Indonesia was not entirely based on good intentions. Papua, rich in natural resources, has been used as Indonesia's cash cow from the start. Mining concessions were granted to US multinational Freeport McMoRan as early as 1967. Indonesia's then Senior General Ali Moertopo reportedly said that Papuans who wanted independence should be sent to the moon. In other words: Indonesia needs Papua's natural resources, not its people.
7. Papuans were determined to join Indonesia through the 'Act of Free Choice'.
Indonesians were led to believe that the 1969 referendum, commonly known as the'Act of Free Choice', was irrefutable evidence of Papuans desire to become part of Indonesia. In reality, only 1,025 of the 800,000 Papuans were consulted. This was by no means a democratic referendum. In addition, participants reportedly voted under threat from the Indonesian military.
The Indonesian government took pride in this sham referendum, recorded in UN resolution 2504 of 1969, as legitimizing the annexation of Papua. In fact, this resolution was not intended to recognize Indonesia's right to Papua. Rather, it emphasized Indonesia's obligation to develop the region. The question is, to what extent has Indonesia fulfilled this UN request? Funds allocated by the World Bank were diverted to finance the settlement of Indonesian migrants instead of improving the living conditions of the indigenous Papuans. Today Papua remains the poorest region in Indonesia.
My Conclusion: Papua is not Indonesia
There are many more lies I won't go into here. One thing is certain: until the Indonesian government is willing to introspect, the injustice and violence against Papuans will continue. Until then, Indonesia's crimes will be revealed to the international community. Before that happens, the Indonesians must honestly admit that Papua does not belong to them. It's safe to say that no Papuans took part in Indonesia's national revolution. In fact, Papua was annexed by Indonesia in the interests of global capitalism. Although both were colonized by the Dutch, Papua has a very different history and culture from Indonesia. Papua is a nation, not just an ethnic group.
Papua is not Indonesian, it's Melanesian!
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