Saving West Papuans from the brink of death

The death knell for the West Papuan people under Indonesia's six-decade grip is ringing louder and louder.

Slowly but surely, West Papuans are heading towards extinction, due to the policies of the Indonesian government since May 1, 1963. Jakarta has proven to have failed to implement its development programs, in particular the special autonomy for Papua launched in 2001.

Impoverished society under Indonesia  

The reality is that not only in West Papua, but throughout Indonesia poverty is rampant because the government does not support grassroot economic activities such as agriculture, plantations, crafts, and fisheries. 

Indonesian farmers are not getting rich despite the high price of rice. Indonesian fishermen are losing out because their traditional boats are outclassed by the trawlers of fishing companies. Local craftsmen are outcompeted by the industrial market. The laborers' minimum wage does not match the inflation rate.

Education is only used as a tool to create cheap labor. In law enforcement, petty criminals are severely punished, while major corruptors are not prosecuted. 

West Papua's misery under Indonesian rule

Looking at the plight of the Indonesian people, imagine how bad the conditions are for those colonized by Indonesia in West Papua.

To this day most Papuans have not been able to carry out socio-economic activities, work, have offices, go to school freely. Indigenous Papuans are increasingly marginalized on their land.

Trillions of rupiah funds coming down from Jakarta are controlled by big Indonesian businessmen. All development projects are operated by Indonesian investors. The term development in Papua is nothing but the occupation and conquest of the West Papuan indigenous lands along with its natural resources.

Christian mission schools, the initial basis for Papuan human resources development, is increasingly being closed. Many of its students are diverted to public schools and even to madrasah. The latter are flourishing throughout West Papua.

Forests are being cleared for oil palm plantations. Illegal logging and mining exploitation, both local and multinational, receive extra protection from the Indonesian government both in law and security.

The death of Papuan children in Asmat, in Nduga, and various other places is considered commonplace. Meanwhile, in Papuan cities, Indonesian security forces protect and even become active distributors of liquor and illegal drugs.

Indeed, the behavior of the Indonesian authorities plunges the West Papuan people into the abyss of death!

Save the remaining West Papuans 

"The experience of living with Indonesia teaches us Papuans that ordinary people are always victims of the ruler's policies. Those who resist are criminalized with various accusations. During Soeharto's rule, millions of Indonesians were killed, tortured, kidnapped, silenced and imprisoned on charges of being members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Similarly in Papua, hundreds of thousands of Papuans were killed, abducted, tortured, silenced and imprisoned. Their homes and property were burned down on charges of separatism and treason.", wrote Markus Haluk, secretary of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) in his book "Realizing the vision of one furnace in one Papuan honai" (2023).

Indonesia is not the future of West Papua. It is time for all parties to join hands to save the remaining Papuan people. The fate of the West Papuan nation is in our hands.