Markus Haluk: A Shepherd for His People and a Voice for a Free West Papua

Markus Haluk: A Shepherd for His People and a Voice for a Free West Papua

In 2004, young seminarian Markus Haluk told his religious superiors something unexpected: “I want to be a pastor not only for Catholics, but for all Papuans.” With those words, he announced his decision to leave the seminary. Markus felt a calling that exceeded the walls of the Church—a vocation to defend his people, much like Moses guiding Israel out of Egyptian bondage. For Markus, the Indonesian occupation of West Papua is a modern form of colonial enslavement, and he believes he has a duty to help lead his nation toward freedom.

A Life Shaped by Faith, Loss, and Resistance

Born around Sunday noon in 1980, in the highland village of Pugima in the Baliem Valley, Markus grew up in a land already dominated by Indonesian rule. He never knew his exact birthday—this is common in Papuan culture—but he knew from an early age that his homeland was a place of suffering and struggle. He was the youngest son of Hakhowok Yogotak Haluk, a tribal chief of the Hubula people. After his father’s passing, Markus continued his studies thanks to the support of Dutch Franciscan missionary Frans Lieshout, who sponsored him at the Fajar Timur School of Theology in Jayapura.

West Papua, nearly the size of France, had remained one of the world’s most isolated regions until the 20th century, home to ancient Melanesian peoples for millennia. In 1961, Papuans declared their independence. Weeks later, Indonesia invaded the territory—backed by Western powers—and later staged a fraudulent referendum to legitimize annexation. Since then, soldiers, resource extraction companies, and waves of state-sponsored migration have reshaped the demography of the land. Papuans, once 90% of the population, have become a minority on their own ancestral soil.

As a child, Markus witnessed Indonesian soldiers torture and kill villagers. As an adult, he watches multinational corporations mine the world’s largest gold deposits while vast areas of rainforest are destroyed for palm oil and agro-industrial projects. For him, these are not merely injustices—they amount to genocide and ecocide.

A Nation Fighting for Its Survival

Resistance has taken many forms. For decades, armed guerrillas fought Indonesian forces in the mountains around Puncak, Maybrat, and Nduga. An estimated 500,000 Papuans have died in the conflict. Like David facing Goliath with nothing but a sling, the Papuan struggle is profoundly unequal.

Yet Markus believes that weapons alone cannot free his people. Today, as Executive Secretary of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), he champions nonviolent resistance—not just as a tactic, but as a cultural and spiritual principle. Papuans have practiced peaceful defiance long before Indonesia arrived. In 1940, 30,000 Papuans on Biak island protested Dutch colonial restrictions on traditional songs, dances, taxes, and forced labor. They later resisted the Japanese occupation with the same spirit.

For Markus, nonviolence is also a Gospel mandate. He draws inspiration from Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” To him, this also means: “To do nothing for the oppressed is to choose the side of the oppressor.”

Erasing a People’s Memory

One of the central pillars of colonial rule in West Papua has been the systematic erasure of Papuan identity and history. Indonesian authorities have crafted new narratives that portray their presence as a civilizing mission. But missionary Frans Lieshout remembers what he saw on May 1, 1963, the day Indonesian troops entered Jayapura: looting, intimidation, and the burning of books and archives.

“They entered like a gang of thieves,” he recalled. “They showed their true face from the beginning—a cruel military regime.”

Despite decades of propaganda, more Indonesians today are aware of the realities in Papua. In 2016, the ULMWP organized a massive petition demanding the annulment of the 1969 referendum. It gathered 1.8 million signatures—both Papuan and Indonesian—and was submitted to the UN Human Rights Commission in 2017. Civil marches, sit-ins, and solidarity actions continue both in Papua and across major Indonesian cities, despite arrests, harassment, and intimidation.

International solidarity movements have responded with boycotts of Indonesian exports, especially palm oil—the main driver of deforestation in Papua, where forests are among the richest on Earth.

A Rising Movement, a Rising Oppression

Racism continues to fuel tensions. On August 16, 2019, Papuan students in Surabaya were insulted as “monkeys” by police and pro-government militias. Outrage swept across Papua, triggering protests; some turned violent. Indonesian authorities used the unrest to arrest major Papuan activists. One of them, Victor Yeimo, was charged with treason and faced a life sentence. After international pressure, he received a reduced sentence of three years. Markus himself has been detained several times, though never formally charged.

A Vision for a Free Papuan Future

Despite all obstacles, the movement for independence grows stronger. Thousands continue to mobilize, organizing peaceful demonstrations, advocacy campaigns, and diplomatic efforts. Markus remains hopeful and resolute:

“An independent West Papua will be a model ecological nation. We will protect our forests. We will not sell our land to multinational corporations. Education and health will be our foundation. And unlike other nations, our defense will be based on nonviolent civil resistance—not foreign-armed militaries.”

It is a bold vision—one rooted in tradition, faith, and an unshakable commitment to freedom.

For Markus Haluk, leaving the seminary did not mean abandoning his pastoral calling. It meant expanding it. Today, he serves as a shepherd not only for Christians, but for all Papuans who long for dignity, justice, and a homeland restored.