Calling Mimika Regent Arrest Diversion of Mutilation Case Issues, WestPapuaNews Spreads Provocative Issues

An unpleasant news is again milling about in the media coverage in the landscape of Papua. The KPK and the police have arrested the Mimika Regent, Eltinus Omaleng, as a suspect in alleged corruption in the construction of the church. The Head of Public Relations of the Papuan Police, Kombes Ahmad Mustafa Kamal, confirmed that if the regent was arrested by the KPK, he was then taken to the Mako Brimob of the Papuan Police.

It was previously known that Eltinus Omaleng sued the KPK through a pretrial to the South Jakarta District Court (PN Jaksel). The lawsuit was carried out in connection with the determination of the suspect in the case of building a church in his/her district. However, this pretrial effort was rejected by the judge. The judge said that the determination of the suspect against the Mimika Regent had sufficient evidence. Meanwhile, the spokesman for the KPK, Ali Fikri, also confirmed that the KPK suspect who was the Mimika Regent in Jayapura was arrested in connection with the alleged corruption case in the construction of the Kingmi church at Mile 32 Timika.

The news of the arrests then dominates the homepage and news timeline around Papua and even at the national level. A number of parties responded in various ways, ranging from appreciation to conveying opinions which considered the incident as an attempt to divert the mutilation case in Mimika, killing 4 Papuan Papuans (OAP) and involving 6 TNI personnel who are still under investigation. One of the most striking responses came from the WPNewsOrg twitter account, which considered that the arrest of the Mimika Regent was a diversion to save the TNI from the mutilation case and ahead of the G20 celebrations. WPNewsOrg concluded that the arrest of the Bupati was a premeditated crime.

Like slapping water on a pan, the statement that led to the accusation was like a provocation to play with the emotions of the Papuan people. The statement also contains a message that there are parties who want to extend the murder case in Mimika to be used as ammunition to 'burn' public anger.

Separatist Groups Attempt to Play Media Content

Based on searches from open sources, it can be seen that the WPNewsOrg Twitter account is an affiliate and an extension of the publication of the content of the westpapuanews.org site. The site, which is made similar to an online media portal, shows the other side of the activities or actions of the government and officials which they consider to be bad and detrimental to their group. Judging from the choice of using the .org domain, it is an abbreviation of the organization that is widely used by schools, organizations, or non-profit institutions. In context, the WestPapuanews.org website wants to image itself as a media portal for separatist groups.

The post stating that the arrest of the Mimika Regent by the KPK was a diversion of the issue of the mutilation case that had previously occurred is clearly a premature conclusion, even inconsequential. As innocent, the account also lightly mentions that the arrest of the Mimika Regent is an attempt to restore the name of the TNI AD in the eyes of the community, especially in the Papua region.

It is necessary to be aware that social media has a close relationship with people's daily lives. This is also supported by the reporting of persuasive narratives typical of propagandist accounts that are deliberately thrown for the group's agenda as well as efforts to influence the public to follow the current flow. The current trend where 'everyone is a media' will become a boomerang if you can't manage word for word or sentence per sentence written. We still remember how the riots in Papua 2019, everything started with a play on words and the distribution of the media which then ignited the emotions of the residents. Neither party wants this to happen again. If anything, we should suspect that it is a group that has personal interests, which unfortunately often sacrifices the community. One of them is done by WestPapuanews.org in the form of a destructive narrative.

The Firmness of the Police and TNI in Responding to the Mutilation Case in Mimika

Until now the government continues to investigate and process the killings involving several parties, one of which is Komnas HAM. The head of Komnas HAM, Taufan Damanik, admitted that he had coordinated with the TNI to investigate the case. Komnas HAM has even started an investigation although it is still in progress. His party will also send Komnas HAM Commissioner Choirul Anam to strengthen the team currently on duty in Papua.

Imparsial's Executive Director, Gufron Mabruri stated that the legal process against 6 TNI members suspected of being the perpetrators of the murder and mutilation must be carried out in an objective, transparent and accountable manner so that there will be no practice of impunity. The alleged perpetrators should be tried in the general court considering the actions they have committed are criminal acts. According to him, impunity for perpetrators of violence will worsen the human rights situation in Papua. In line with this, it is necessary to evaluate and correct security policies, particularly the role of the military in Papua.

After the Regent's Arrest, Timika Is Alerted

Responding to the arrests made by the KPK against the Mimika Regent, as a form of anticipation from the security forces against the Mimika area. The police then set the alert status in the Timika area. The Papuan Regional Police Chief, Inspector General of Police Mathius D Fakhiri in his statement to the media, stated that his party asked the security forces in Timika to be on standby to anticipate security disturbances after the arrest of the Mimika Regent. His party also hopes that the community will not be easily provoked, so that the Timika area and its surroundings are expected to remain conducive.

There is no connection in corruption cases with murder cases

If there may be parties who are still arguing about the two cases, one that becomes a wedge is a matter of almost close time. The rest, these problems have different contexts, fields, and conditions. The case of the Timika Regent's corruption is not new or made up. Even with the murder, of course, has a different motive. Each party has the right to speculate, but one thing must be considered so that these statements, whether written or verbal, have an impact on the condition of the sensitive Papua region. Hopefully the public will understand more about the direction of the separatist group's 'game', which always uses 'sexy' issues to become 'ammunition'.

SOURCE: https://time.online/2022/09/08/10556/