No racist intent, Papuan people are asked not to be provoked by Megawati's statement

In the midst of the dynamics of the Papuan people who are preparing to welcome the realization of the policy on the expansion of the New Autonomous Region (DOB), there is one thing that has caught the public's attention for a moment and stopped listening. A statement emerged from the General Chair of the PDI-P, Megawati Soekarnoputri in a speech alluding to the Papuan people and meatball vendors. During the PDI-P II National Working Meeting at Lenteng Agung, Jakarta, Tuesday, June 21, 2022, the statement by the former Indonesian president was considered by some to be a racist act because he said that milk coffee refers to the black color of the Papuan people. Even though it was delivered in a joking tone, it still drew criticism. In the context of her statement, Megawati then linked the Kopi Susu statement to the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, John Wempi Wetipo, who is from Papua and is black. The two people are known to have a very close relationship. The reason for this closeness is also what makes Megawati dare to call Wempi with the expression coffee milk, referring to the color of her skin.

It didn't end there, the statement about milk coffee was also accompanied by another statement, namely about the meatball maker. In her hope, Megawati said that she did not want her children to find a partner like a meatball seller. Although it was still a joke, Megawati's statement in the end also drew criticism because it was considered to be condescending to the meatball seller.

Interpreting Megawati's Way of Joking

If traced from a number of information in the media, there are traces of the statement of the daughter of the Indonesian proclaimer which has been in the spotlight of a number of parties. The model of the way of speaking that tends to be straightforward and uncoordinated is often considered sarcastic, multi-interpreted, and thus referred to as a form of provocation. In the near future, there were at least two momentums in Megawati's statement before the milk coffee and the meatball seller's son-in-law became the public spotlight.

At the inauguration of the 13 PDI P DPD offices and the Bung Karno Statue in Yogyakarta, Wednesday, October 28, 2020, he stated that young Indonesians should not be pampered. He asked the contribution of the millennial generation to the nation and state today. Then in a webinar on preventing stunting on March 18, 2022, Megawati responded to the issue of rising cooking oil by making her statement by stroking her chest, not because it was non-existent or expensive. However, what do mothers do every day just fry? The statement immediately sparked a reaction from netizens to bring up an alternative recipe for cooking without cooking oil.

Back to the issue of black and white Papua and the son-in-law of the meatball maker, which was then stirred up by the media coverage until it became a national issue. No one ever expected and there would be an impact from an issue that sparked riots in Papua as in 2019 as a result of one word which was later referred to as an act of racism. The wave of information that is so quickly absorbed has a negative impact, one of which is an imbalance in the pattern of receiving information filtering and literacy as well as a critical attitude that every individual should have. Sometimes, emotional factors and a sense of community become the spearhead of what happens next.

Through a statement from an educational figure named Nadirsyah Hosen or familiarly called Gus Nadir, he gave a perspective in responding to the issue of Megawati's statement related to Papuan jokes and meatball vendors who were considered racist from a different perspective. According to him, this was like a misunderstanding because basically it was in a fluid and intimate atmosphere at the opening ceremony of the PDI-P National Working Meeting. In essence, if examined neutrally, Megawati is telling a joke about her children when looking for a mate. Then it was told that the current condition had occurred a lot of assimilation of inter-tribal marriages, including in Papua. This should be good news according to Bhinneka Tunggal Ika.

Papuan Separatist Groups Are Not Offended by Megawati's Statement

Megawati's joking response which was later standardized into a statement by several parties has reached separatist groups in Papua. In a way, the existence of this group affects the security and peace of the Cenderawasih Earth. Several incidents and cases that occurred in Papua did not escape the role and involvement of the independence group.

Through his spokesman, Sebby Sambom said that Megawati's statement was not considered racist, and instead was seen as showing her sense of nationalism. The term Kopi Susu used by Megawati aims to mix cultures to become one Indonesia, for example the president of Java and his deputy from Sulawesi, so that the leader does not only have to be Javanese. The OPM does not want to interfere with Indonesia's domestic political affairs because their goal is only to fight for the independence of the Papuan people. However, his party also advised Megawati, who was already entering her old age, to be careful in speaking. The message is intended because his characteristics with a few spoken sentences tend to invite the interest of someone who hears to reconfirm the meaning of the statement. Including related to Coffee Milk and Bakso Bakso.

The Papuan Community Welcomes the Realization of the New DOB Policy

Megawati's remarks relating to Papuan Milk Coffee, Bakso Bakso and Genetic Engineering are still being discussed at the level of social media and online media. The development of the situation in a number of areas of Jayapura Papua so far is in a conducive condition. All parties should be able to jointly maintain the situation in Papua so that it does not happen again because of the impact of the issue that started with statements in the media.

On the other hand, the DPR Commission II entourage recently visited a number of areas in Papua to capture and accommodate the aspirations of the people. Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the DPR RI, Junimart Girsang, stated that the leadership of the MRP, the Papuan DPR (DPRP), and the Regional Secretary (Sekda) who represented the Governor of Papua Lukas Enembe supported the expansion of Papua. According to him, in the expansion of Papua, the Indigenous Papuans must be empowered because they are human resources who understand and understand all the natural resources (SDA) owned by the region.

Thus, the Indigenous Papuans need to be empowered to manage all existing natural resources properly. This includes managing and responding to the flow of information so that it is not easy to be provoked which will harm many parties.

SOURCE: https://time.online/7870-2/