The Papuan Student Alliance and the Tendency of the Separatist Movement Raise Racism Issues

The momentum for the celebration of the anniversary of Indonesia's independence seems to continue to be used by the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) group to influence the public regarding its opposition and distrust of the Indonesian government by taking advantage of sensitive issues in the form of racism.

In the last few days, a number of social media accounts from AMP and a number of affiliates who have become sources of reference have re-uploaded deconstructive narratives that cornered the Indonesian state in relation to its attitude towards the region and the people of Papua. The common thread in the uploaded narrative always boils down to the right to self-determination. Using Wikipedia as a source and inserting a reference to Law Number 40 of 20078 concerning the Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination, they continue to ensure that racism occurs in Papua by the Indonesian state, which is called a colonial nation.

If it is taken back, this method has often been used by parties who have tendencies to be in opposition to the government. In the context of the problem in Papua, namely separatism, these parties tend to have the final mission of 'fight for' themselves to be separated from Indonesia. Even if in ways that cannot be justified and tend to be dirty and forceful. In addition to the propagandist narrative that continues to be uploaded through social media. The ceremony for celebrating Indonesia's independence in 2022 was also littered with acts of terror, shootings against security officers and the burning of a government-owned building in Intan Jaya Papua.

The Use of Racism Issues That Keeps Repetitive

It is undeniable that the events of 2019 in Surabaya and Malang which spread to riots in parts of Papua became a shared reflection as well as an evaluation for all parties. The issue of racism that is supported by the speed of information through social media or online media can be the axis or trigger for emotional attitudes that are far from rational thought or logical considerations. Through the issue of racism, a number of parties who want a referendum have received ammunition to continue to influence the public. One of them is from the AMP, as a group consisting of student intellectuals should be able to be a representation of the views of the Indonesian people towards the Papuan people or an example for the Papuan people themselves to behave in a more dignified manner. Ironically, AMP has been proven to be affiliated with separatist groups such as the KNPB to participate in adding the point of 'order' demands, namely the request for a referendum, regardless of the issue being raised. Including the issue of racism on the momentum of the 77th Indonesian Independence Day commemoration.

In his movement. The banality seems to have been conceptualized in a camp, the previous article being the Papuan People's Petition (PRP) in its several uploads on social media, first alluding to the issue of racism using events in 2019 that were trying to be brought back to the public. The PRP is one of the groups that has shown its existence over the past few months by coordinating actions against a number of government policies, such as special autonomy and the expansion of new autonomous regions (DOB). The PRP is also known to have ties to the KNPB as one of the political fronts of the separatist group with a mission to separate from Indonesia.

Learning from Racism Issues Utilized by AMP and PRP

Discussing the issue of racism in relation to the Papuan context cannot be separated from the definition of identity. The term "Papuans" has multiple meanings. A number of people who are not “Indigenous Papuans” refer to or consider themselves as “Papuans” because they were born in Papua. Things like this also happen in other areas and are not a problem because they have a sense of ownership of the land they were born in or where they grew up. But then, this phenomenon often in fact makes the rights of Indigenous Papuans increasingly marginalized. Therefore, the term 'OAP' (Indigenous Papuans) emerged, who have special rights over their own land which are guaranteed by law. By definition, OAP in its implementation is a Papuan who has a Papuan lineage from Ayanya. The term 'OAP' adheres to patrilinealism, because in Papuan custom, giving a 'marga' for children must follow your father's lineage. But not a few are also given a 'marga' from their mother, usually an incident like this is followed by the granting of rights in the form of land or customary inheritance.

The physical difference between OAP and Indonesian people from other regions is a visible difference. But more than that, the different views on the people of eastern Indonesia are actually more of a stereotype as an underdeveloped society. Things like this will unconsciously give birth to the seeds of racism that affect the development process in the region. The government continues to massively develop Papua through a number of policies, on the other hand there are also separatist groups that show their existence. So, to get optimal results, it is necessary to change the approach to the concept of development in Papua, namely how to build the concept of Papuanness in Indonesianness. With this concept, it is hoped that it will create a sense of fairness, recognition, and acceptance as part of the diversity itself. When this happens, the racist tendencies will disappear by themselves.

The incident which was motivated by the issue of racism in 2019 and then resulted in riots in Papua, must be a shared lesson. That racism is a sensitive issue that is very easy to ignite emotions, whether people in Papua or indigenous Papuans do not accept the incident. On the other hand, it becomes a sad thing when the incident is then commemorated by other interests, as was done by the PRP and then followed by AMP with the same end goal, namely the demand for a referendum.

AMP, which consists of several committees and consists of students, should be an intellectual group that should be a reflection of the wider Papuan society. There is a responsibility to set an example for the general public in Papua and outside the region. However, it seems that this is not the case in AMP. The existence of the issue of racism is clearly part of the movement's strategy to arouse anti-Indonesian sentiment, especially to coincide with the celebration of the Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day.

Message of Unity by Governor Luke Enembe

Not only through the issue of racism that floats in social media uploads. The celebration of the independence anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia was also littered with acts of security disturbances by separatist groups in the Intan Jaya area. The commander of Korem 173/PVB, Brigadier General Taufan Gestoro, said that on Wednesday 17 August 2022 at around 08.00 WIT, the Papuan Separatist and Terrorist Group (KST) carried out shootings around Mamba, but the security forces managed to contain it. Overall, the celebration activities at the venue took place safely. The day before, terror was also carried out by KST Papua in Intan Jaya. Terror in the form of shootings and arson were carried out in three locations, namely Mamba Sugapa District, behind BPD, and behind Polsek. As a result of the terror, the airport's operations were closed at around 10:00 WIT, there were no casualties in the incident.

Meanwhile, the former leader of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) Lambert Pekikir attended the ceremony for the 77th Birthday of the Republic of Indonesia in Arso, Keerom Regency, Papua. The arrival of Lambert Pekikir was accompanied by the Commander of the Military Resort (Danrem) 172/PWY Brigadier General (Brigjen) of the Indonesian National Army (TNI) JO Sembiring. The presence of a former member who is also the leader of OPM Lambert Pekikir at the Indonesian Independence Day is a sign that he really wants to return to the motherland.

The commemoration of the proclamation of Indonesian Independence is a momentum for Papua to move forward and rise from adversity. The message was conveyed by Governor Lukas Enembe in a ceremony at the Lukas Enembe stadium, Jayapura Regency. The Assistant for the Economy and People's Welfare of the Papua Regional Secretariat, Muhammad Musa'ad, said that the 77th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia should be a momentum for further improvement in development in Papua. This commemoration is also a momentum to unite to maintain peace because it is an important instrument so that development can be carried out in the Land of Papua as an integral part of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.

SOURCE: https://time.online/2022/08/18/9884/