Theo van der Broek: Jakarta-Papua dialogue: It’s nothing but talk-talk

JUBI, 12 June 2012Solving the Papuan conflict by means of peaceful communication has been constantly talked about by the government, by traditional leaders as well as by  religious leaders in Papua as well as in Indonesia but nothing has happened yet, said Theo van der Broek, chairman of the Franciscan  KPKC in Jayapura.

‘Everyone is talking about a peaceful settlement. Papuan church leaders met the Indonesian President at the beginning of the year when the President recognised that dialogue was the way to resolve the issue.

‘The matter was then handed over the Vice-President but the government has taken no further action .  I haven’t seen any follow-up. Everyone is just talking, but the promises are nothing more than promises.’

He went on to say that violence and terror are still continuing in the kampungs as well as in Jayapura.

‘Although the problem is getting more and more complex, nothing is being done by the government.They are all busy with other things, like campaigning for the gubernatorial elections. This only creates confusion for everyone.The violence is continuing with no end in sight.’

It is up to the government to resolve the problems and arrest those who have perpetrated the shootings in Jayapura., he said.

‘It is not difficult to identify the perpetrators of the violence. All that is needed is serious and honest investigation by the police to avoid further speculations. The investigations would then need to be followed up,’ said this Dutch-born missionary. ‘We need to sit down and talk about what is true and what is not true and listen to each other.Everyone needs to be open and frank about their ideas regarding the Papuan problem and its solution,’ he said.

He went on to say that everyone concerned about finding a peaceful solution to the Papuan issue  must come together to find a solution, a solution that does not sacrifice the interests of either side. A solution must be found that is beneficial to all sides.

‘If we all just stick to our own ideas about the problem, we will never be able to reach a solution.’

[Translated by TAPOL]