Bintang Papua, 11 April 2011The swearing of the new MRP by the minister of the interior has been rejected by the parliamentary caucus of the Central Highlands, following the death on 7 April of Agus Alue Alua, who was the chairman of the MRP from 2005 – 2011.

Swearing in the new MRP could lead  major problems  and should be considered very carefully before going ahead, said Melkyas Gombo.

He said that the names of all the members should be made public. Papuan people knew all about the problems facing the MRP as a body concerned with  cultural affairs, so it is quite wrong to keep anything hidden from them.

‘We believe that the government is involved in some kind of  a game, and is keeping hidden the swearing in. The names of all the members should be made public,’ he said.

He said that if the government was not prepared to announce the names of all the members, then the swearing in ceremony should not take place, because they may  include people who were not chosen by the Papuan people  and would be seen by the Papuan people as people who were not likely to  speak out on behalf of the Papuan people.

He also said that the Papuan people were still in mourning the death of Agus Alua and it was not the right time for the new MRP to be sworn in.