Jakarta-Papua dialogue should be held quickly, says commentator

In the view of the political commentator Frans Maniagasi, the Indonesian government should hold a dialogue with the Papuan people as quickly as possible, in line with the policy of the Papuan Peace Network (JDP). He said this is very urgent indeed because Papuan lives are continuing to be lost.

‘The dialogue for which Pastor Neles Tebay has been working must be held as quickly as possible, ‘ he said, during a ceremony marking environmental day in the province of Papua.

He said that more and more Papuan lives are being lost, stressing that this has been going on for a very long time, since the 1960s.

The dialogue should discuss the emancipation of the  Papuan people. ‘This is a struggle for emancipation,’ said Maniagasi, who recently published a book called ‘Papua’s Future: Freedom, Special Autonomy and Dialogue.’

He said he realised that  the various stages of dialogue would encounter many difficulties because of the  problems among the Papuan people themselves.’The Papuan people consist of a number of tribes and cultures.’

But he said that these  differences could be overcome. ‘The question is – do we want to work together or not? ‘The most important thing is for us to sit down together, to discuss and to work together to push for the dialogue.’