Pepera 1969 Momentum of Affirmation that Papuans are the Indonesian Nation based on the Possedetic Juris principle

A disinformation and provocative upload re-emerged on a social media page from a number of accounts, one of which was named Bheny Murib bringing up the momentum for the 1969 People's Opinion Determination (Pepera). It was stated in the article that during the Pepera there were protests in a number of areas . Responding to this, it was said that the security forces through the West Irian Special Operations Agency (Opsus) took precautions by preparing members of the Pepera deliberative council to obtain the determination to integrate with Indonesia. The condition which according to the author is referred to as a violation is concluded that the process of merging the territory of Papua into the Republic of Indonesia is a process that is not in accordance with international principles and is considered invalid because it is detrimental to the Papuan People (OAP).

The implementation of the Act of Free Choice is legal and does not need to be disputed

It is one of the characteristics that a movement has a pure purpose to build society or is only driven by certain interests, it is at the final conclusion which is usually also contained in the last point of the demand for an action, in this case in the form of uploading a narrative through social media channels. The illegal mention of holding the Pepera in 1969 because it was deemed not to involve the Papuan people became a trigger for the anxiety of certain parties with the main goal of the existence of the movement up to the long mission of disengagement from Indonesia. As if it had been patterned, every issue and momentum that occurred, whether in the form of policies or warnings always ended with that conclusion. One of them is related to the Act of Free Choice in 1969.

It is interesting to study in every commemoration of the 1962 New York Agreement until the implementation of the 1969 Act of Free Choice by a number of parties supporting Papuan independence in the form of distrust because of the electoral system and mechanism used at that time. Quoting a statement from a Young researcher at the Galesong Institute Jakarta, Stefi Vellanueva Farrah, that this matter needs to be re-examined in terms of data sources and facts. The campaign that the Act of Free Choice is illegal because of various practices that are not in accordance with human rights, as well as international legal standards, at first glance seems logical and rational. However, this is actually part of a foreign party's effort to separate Papua from Indonesia. If the human rights aspect is prioritized, which one is more essential: breaking away from the colonialists or technically one people one vote democracy? Democracy can only be enjoyed if the colonizers have been successfully expelled. There is no democracy in the occupied territories.

In short, we have succeeded in expelling the invaders from the archipelago, and the 1969 Act of Free Choice became a momentum for affirming that Papuans are Indonesians based on the Possedetis Juris principle which stipulates that the boundaries of the former colonies which later became independent, follow the territorial boundaries before the country became independent. It was not an easy job for Bung Karno and the founding fathers at that time to organize a newly independent country. The Dutch, which had colonized Indonesia for hundreds of years, were reluctant to release it in a short time. So the handover of power over the territory of the Republic of Indonesia that had been proclaimed was carried out in stages by the Dutch to the Indonesian government.

Re-raising the Pepera Issue to Divert Otsus and DOB Kebijakan Policies

It is not new that the issue of momentum to commemorate important days related to Papua from time to time is always used by supporters of Papuan independence, including in this case related to the issue of the Presidential Regulation which continues to be fried and questioned. If it is traced in more detail, it is certain that the raising of these issues occurred because of the interest of one thing. The continuation of the Special Autonomy Policy and the progress of the policy on the expansion of the New Autonomous Region (DOB) are one of them.

It is undeniable that during the 20 years of the Otsus policy, there are still gaps and imperfections that require a thorough evaluation. Likewise with the policy for the expansion of new autonomous regions in the three provinces of Papua. The implementation will not be optimal if it is not supported by all relevant parties, especially the people in the Papua region.

As much as 80% of the Special Autonomy funds are used to develop Papua in stages. The condition of Papua which only joined in 1963, almost 20 years after the independence era had an impact on efforts to pursue development so that it was on par with other regions. The priority of infrastructure development is influenced by the geographical conditions of Papua for the smooth mobility of citizens. In addition, infrastructure is also a requirement for investors to invest. This collaboration has proven to be beneficial for the community because it reduces the number of unemployed.

Likewise with the expansion policy which is one of the efforts to accelerate progress. The problem of distance and facilities that the Papuan people always complain about has been resolved by the expansion of the region. The birth of this policy is also an aspiration of leaders and people in Papua who have long dreamed of expansion. The existence of a policy of providing opportunities for indigenous Papuans to be obliged to lead the new province is proof of the government's great concern for the progress of Papua through its best sons and daughters.

Master's Eating Weapon Named the Human Rights Issue

The efforts of the pro-Papuan independence parties to change public opinion as well as to discredit the government through the issue of questioning the Act and its relation to human rights because they are considered not to involve Papuans are actually their own weapons that need to be re-examined, mainly related to the tendency of a number of security disturbances to violent attacks. often carried out by separatist groups in recent years.

Based on police records, throughout 2022, the perpetrators who are also often referred to as the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) have attacked security forces in Papua and West Papua 8 times. The attacks on civilians occurred 4 times. In fact, in the middle of last July, there was an indiscriminate attack from the KKB that killed 10 civilians in Nduga Regency.

One thing that activists always focus on is the human rights violations that have occurred in the past, which until now the government has continued to try to solve them, although it is not easy in terms of time. On the other hand, they don't seem to want to know that at present there are many perpetrators of human rights violations involving Papuan separatist groups.

Therefore, it is better for the Papuan people, especially the students, to ignore the issue of debating the 1969 Act of Free Choice which was carried out through social media. Although the source of the article is not clear, we must understand that the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) group is an organization that tends to be oppositional and has been proven to be affiliated with separatist groups such as the West Papua National Committee (KNPB). AMP is also one of the parties who reject a number of government policies, one of which is the division of the province. Even the existence of the AMP and the KNPB itself has been rejected by the indigenous Papuan people because they hinder the progress of the land of Papua.

SOURCE: https://time.online/2022/08/25/10137/