Feeling cheated by the Dutch, OPM Founder Nicholas Messet chooses to return to the Republic of Indonesia

The emergence of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) cannot be separated from the history of the land of Papua and its relationship with the Dutch state that had occupied the region. One of the senior figures as well as the founder of the OPM, Nicholas Messet, has recently been busy with public discussion regarding his life story and his decision to return to the Republic of Indonesia.

It is known that in 2007, he decided to return to the Republic of Indonesia after more than 40 years of wandering searching for the meaning of the word independence for Papua until he was in the United States. In his journey, he then realized that the effort for Papuan independence was the dream of the Dutch nation to divide the Indonesian state.

The formation of the State of Papua is a Dutch trick

In the story of his journey to find the meaning of independence, Nicholas said that he met one of the Papuan leaders who was also elected as Vice President of the New Guinea Council which governed the Dutch colony, Dutch New Guinea, namely Nicolaas Jouwe. During the meeting, he felt shocked when he heard Jouwe's direct story when he met the former President of the United States, John F Kennedy. It was clearly explained that since August 24, 1828, Papua had become part of the Dutch East Indies which automatically became part of Indonesia. The 35th American president warned Jouwe that the Dutch had rigged the existence of the OPM all this time.

Suddenly after learning the truth, Nicholas Messet who is one of the founders of OPM felt he had found a turning point. He claimed to be aware and in 2007 decided to return to Indonesia. Previously, Nicholas had stated himself as one of the people who raised the Papuan Morning Star flag on December 1, 1961. However, after realizing that the Dutch colonial had carried out a divisive politics by distorting the facts, he firmly stated that Papua was part of Indonesia with the date of independence 17 August 1945.

For him, the existence of the Papuan Morning Star flag is an old memory, a memory of when he was tricked by the Dutch into leaving Indonesia. So, strictly speaking, he also reminded members of the Papuan separatist group or the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) to wake up and wake up from the dreams created by the Dutch colonists like him. Papua is part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, all forms of disintegration should be prevented for the sake of accelerating the progress of the earth of paradise.

False Propaganda and Obscuring Papuan History

A number of terror acts which are still being carried out by the Papuan Separatist and Terrorist Group (KST) or also called KKB are victims of deviant thought propaganda that has been circulating for so long coupled with the lack of historical knowledge related to the land of Papua. This is also exacerbated by the influence of outsiders who have a long mission to profit from Papua and the people within it.

The members of this separatist group still think that Papua is an independent entity, has no relationship with the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, or even sadly feels that it has been annexed by the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. In fact, the Republic of Indonesia and Papua have a similar history, namely the Dutch East Indies, a former Dutch colony in the past.

Papuan people should not be provoked by the pseudo-independence issue

Answering a number of arguments by separatist groups who are still trying to get out of Indonesia and consider it an independence. Nicholas Messet emphatically said that today's young people do not need to dream of Papuan independence as they did 40 years ago and ended in vain. According to him, being called independent is if you have got a job, you can only think that the world is big. But if you only play gambling or lottery without being able to help others, then independence is just a slogan.

Related to that, he also remembered the advice given by the former President of Timor Leste, Jose Ramos Horta, that Indonesia is a very big country, we should be proud because we are in a big country, while if we break away and then go outside, no one will listen. There are many examples of small countries that not many parties want to hear. The most important thing that Papuan youth must do today is study, study, and study. Because then good things will be obtained, not only in Indonesia but throughout the world.

A message that the issue of independence is in the interest of foreign parties

A message was also conveyed from a former OPM member who had been in detention for 15 years for helping to raise the Morning Star flag in Jayapura, Dr. Karma file.

In his statement, he asked the Papuan people not to be provoked by the political issue of independence touted by the TPNPB-OPM because it would only bring disaster to themselves, their families, and the life of the people in Papua in general.

The issue of Papuan independence has been deliberately raised by certain individuals or groups who want to "fish in the murky waters" in order to reap political, financial, and material benefits from the issue. Political discussions around Papuan independence have been going on for a long time since the 1960s but as far as deep observation and reflection are concerned, Papuan independence is very difficult to achieve or can be said to be a “dream that will never come” because Papuans themselves do not have the same views on independence itself. There are those who think that independence means being separated from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, while others think that independence means building within the realm of Special Autonomy for Papua with brothers from other regions in Indonesia in the arms of the motherland of Indonesia.

The Indonesian government has understood the issue of Papua so that it is seriously trying to organize the development of Papua through Law Number 21 of 2001 concerning Special Autonomy for Papua, as well as the policy of the division of the province.

Realizing all this, he asks all levels of Papuan society not to be provoked by political issues that mislead themselves and it is much better to take the right position, namely to work hard, roll up their sleeves to build a land of Papua that is prosperous and peaceful for all ethnicities, religions. , race and class.

SOURCE: https://time.online/2022/08/08/9535/