Papuan Customary Democracy and Melanesian Socialism: A Prophetic Light for the Contemporary World

Papuan Customary Democracy and Melanesian Socialism: A Prophetic Light for the Contemporary World

This article examines a democratic model inspired by the indigenous traditions of West Papua. Markus Haluk, a prominent Papuan thinker and Executive Secretary of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), proposes a system grounded in ancestral Melanesian values—centered on communal consensus, collective leadership, and a profound relationship with the land—harmonized with the principles of the Christian faith.

A Voice from the Forest: Rediscovering Democracy through Indigenous Peoples

As the world faces a crisis of democracy—marked by authoritarian elections, civic fatigue, and the erosion of the common good—a voice rises from the forests of West Papua: the voice of Indigenous peoples, bearers of ancient wisdom woven into the land, oral traditions, and communal memory. Markus Haluk, a Papuan intellectual and Executive Secretary of the ULMWP (United Liberation Movement for West Papua), powerfully presents a vision: one of customary democracy rooted in ancestral Melanesian practices, yet oriented toward the future of a free and just Papua.

In his 2021 political platform, “A Political Vision for an Independent State of West Papua,” Haluk writes:

“Our democracy will not be copied from Jakarta or Canberra. It will be born from our honai, our clans, our customary councils. It is our way of being in the world.”

A Democracy of Dialogue and Consensus

Before the arrival of Dutch, and later Indonesian colonizers, Papuan peoples lived under community governance based on consensus, shared speech, and the wisdom of elders. It was not about majority rule, but about achieving social harmony through collective deliberation.

“Our ancestors' democracy is not about a majority crushing a minority. It is a path toward unity, with respect for all,” said Haluk at the 'National Forum of the Papuan People' (2021).

Customary leaders (ondofolo, manfun) are not chosen for wealth or power but for their integrity, their capacity to listen, their wisdom. They embody the biblical ideal of servant leadership:

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26)

Rejecting Colonial Democracies, Reviving Indigenous Systems

The electoral model imported from Indonesia is widely rejected by Papuans as foreign, corrupt, and violent. Far from ensuring true representation, it has, according to Haluk, fostered dispossession, clientelism, and community division.

“Jakarta's democracy is built on money, guns, and fear. Ours is rooted in listening, land, and community ties,” he stated in a 'Jubi News' interview (2022).

This is why the ULMWP affirms that customary democracy will be the backbone of the future independent West Papua. It is not nostalgic return, but a contemporary political project, inspired both by Melanesian traditions and modern aspirations for justice, participation, and sustainability.

The Echo of the Early Christian Communities

This Indigenous democracy strongly echoes the early Christian communities described in the 'Acts of the Apostles':

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32)

Similarly, the first deacons were chosen not for wealth, but for their wisdom and ability to serve (Acts 6:3). This mirrors Papuan societies, where power is service, and wealth is common, not private.

Church documents affirm this convergence. In 'Evangelii Gaudium', Pope Francis writes:

“The people of God is sanctified by this communal bond. God wanted it to be a people, not an elite.” (EG, §113)

A Melanesian Socialism: Sharing, Land, and Reciprocity

Though the word “socialism” may alarm some, in Papuan thought it means sharing, solidarity, reciprocity, and care for the vulnerable. It is not a centralized Soviet-style system but an ancient communal way of life.

“For us, wealth is not meant to be accumulated but to circulate. Life is not for owning but for sharing.” (Customary speech in Wamena, 2020)

This 'Mother-Earth Socialism' is based on four pillars:

• Land as parent (not just land, but “mama”)
• Shared speech (not voting, but consensus)
• Community service (not domination, but dedication)
• Restoration and balance (not punishment, but healing)

In 'Laudato Si’', Pope Francis calls for recovering this sacred relationship with creation:

“There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology. There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself.” (LS, §118)

A Prophetic Critique of Capitalism and the Dominant State

Contrary to neoliberal logics, the Papuan vision proposes a democracy free from market idolatry—a way of living that rejects commodification of nature and selfish accumulation. It resonates with Karl Marx’s critique of alienation:

“The mode of production of material life determines the social, political, and intellectual life process in general.” (A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, 1859)

But where Marx proposes class struggle, the Papuan people offer restored relationships, reconciliation, and communal care. Their struggle is not to seize power, but to restore sacred balance between people, ancestors, and the land.

A Rooted Political Theology

This project is not merely political. It is also theological, spiritual, and ecclesial. It joins the tradition of contextual and liberation theologies, as affirmed by the 2019 Synod for the Amazon:

“Indigenous peoples must be the principal interlocutors, protagonists, and builders of their future.”

Likewise, 'Querida Amazonia' calls for a Church that listens to Indigenous peoples and recognizes their wisdom as seeds of the Word (QA, §76).

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) have affirmed Indigenous struggles in West Papua as forms of evangelical witness in the face of injustice.

Toward a Black and Green Pentecost: A Call to the World

Markus Haluk’s political project is not a closed-off nationalism. It is a universal proposition, a light from the margins. It calls on the modern world to listen to Indigenous voices, to heal its relationship with the Earth, and to rebuild democracy on listening, respect, and community.

In a disenchanted technocratic world, Papua still speaks in parables, songs, and myth. It offers a lucid dream, an Indigenous hope.

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Hope Rising from the Ashes

Customary democracy and Melanesian socialism are not dead utopias. They are living realities, rooted in the people and nourished by the Word. In West Papua, a light shines amid colonial darkness: a people standing tall, feet on the earth, voice in the wind, heart open to justice.

 “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Psalm 118:22)