Stop racial abuse and criminalization of Papuan people!

INDONESIA: STOP AND RESIST DEMOCRATIC OPPRESSION, RACIAL ABUSE, CRIMINALIZATION AGAINST PAPUAN PEOPLE!

Official Statement of International League Of Peoples’ Struggle, Indonesia Chapter
22 August 2019

Economic exploitation, politic oppression and racism goes hand-in-hand under Joko Widodo administration to the Papuan People that repeatedly accurred which added to the long suffering of the Papuan People. During the Joko Widodo administration, recorded events of political oppression and racist against Papuan people taken place such as in Papuan student dormitory in Jogjakarta (2016), Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya (2018), fascist military violence that took place in Paniai (2014), Mimika (2014), and currently also take place in Ndunga.

The latest political and racist oppression of Papuan People carried out by the military, police, apparatus as well as para military organization under the government of Joko Widodo. They carried out attack to Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya, East Java on 16 and 17 of August 2019. The day before, Papuan student in Malang were also silenced with violence when they expressed their opinions on “New York Agreement 1962” which violated the rights of Papuan people. The action of Papuan people also received threats from the vice of mayor of Malang city who threatened to send back all the Papuan student to Papua because of being accused as a source of riots.

The siege, terror, violence, intimidation, racist abuse and illegal arrest, carried out by security force as well as their ultra-nationalist mass organizations to 43 Papuan student. It is a clearly of human rights of violation, deprivation of Papuan people rights as well as insulting dignity of Papuan people (bastardization). Those series of oppression is a true expression of the state of Indonesia Republic under Joko Widodo administration, who have carried out systemic political oppression and economic exploitation among Indonesia people, including racist oppression against Papuan people.

However, this time, the government’s oppression through its civil and military apparatus are countered by the Papuan people who launched large protest demonstrations in Manokwari, Sorong, Jayapura, Wamena, Fakfak and various other cities in Papua and outside Papua. Moreover, the Papuan people also carried out offensives at the government offices, police stations and burning of regional office of People Representative Assembly in West Papua, air-port and others public facilities. The Papuan and Indonesian people resistance still continue and will be continue, spreading in many island and big cities in Papua, Sulawesi, Java, Sumatra, Nusa Tenggara.

The Papuan people, as well as Indonesian people in general, have experienced long suffering especialy since the New Orde under the fascist dictatorship of Soeharto for the sake of the imperialist interest, especialy United State of America (USA). They oppress and robbed natural wealth for decades. The Papuan people are deprived from their customary lands and natural resources, driven from their ancestral land, prisoned, killed, criminalized, because of rebellion, as well as given bad stigma as a backward ethnic group.

Political-economic oppression and exploitation are real expressions of state apparatus under Joko Widodo administration which cannot be covered up. All kinds of these oppession actually deeply rooted in the semicolonial and semifeudal system, ruled by the puppet goverment that dictated by U.S. imperialism under neo-liberal policy that preserved by Joko Widodo administration now days.

The Indonesian people have also experienced the same systemic oppression, increasingly along with the dictatorship of neo-liberal policies that serve the flow of foreign investment and foreign debt for infrastructure development, all of which robbed the land, natural resources and destroyed the democratic rights of the Indonesian people, including racist oppression among the Papuan people.

The economic livelihood of the Indonesian people has deteriorated, land grabbing is widespread everywhere which has further strengthened the land monopoly, deprived wages, and suppressed democratic rights which become our daily realities.

Livelihoods of economics of Indonesia people, even more in Papua, getting worse due to the land grabbing widespread, which has strengthen land and natural resources monopoly, and democratic rights continues to be suppressed, becoming a reality of daily life.

Based on that facts, we view that the roots of Papuan and Indonesia people are the same, that is deeply rooted from the backward semifeudal and semicolonial system. Imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism as the main problem that really destroying people’s living condition. But Papuan people even suffering worsen condition due the racist oppression, criminalization, bastardization, including the crackdown over the Papuan people aspiration to self determination.

We are the mass organizations that united in the Front of People Struggle (FRP) Indonesia, strongly condemned all forms of fascist and racist oppression carried out by state apparatus under Jokowi’s administration. Herewith we declare the following statement and demanding:

1. Immediately stop all forms of democratic rights attacks, criminalization and racist oppression against Papuan people!
2. Establish independent probe involving Papuan people on human rights and racist violations to ensure justice for Papuan people is upheld!
3. Arrest and Punish the Head of region Police office of East Java over racist oppression and riots in Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya, East Java!
4. Pull out all military forces, stop militarization in the land of Papua, especially military operations in Ndunga!
5. Guarantee and uphold press freedom, and stop control and censorship over media and the internet by Indonesian Government!
6. Stop all kind of land grabbing and natural resources in the land of Papua!
7. Support the right to self–determination of Papuan People!

In conjunction with these demands, we are also calling for all Indonesian people to:

1. Support and uphold national and international solidarity for the justice of the Papuan people!
2. Strengthen the unity of the oppressed and exploited Papuan and Indonesian people, fight all forms of fascist, racist and racial disunity carried out by the ranks, civilian and military apparatus under the government of Joko Widodo!
3. Strengthen the unity of Indonesia and Papua people to launch national democratic struggle as a solution!

Fight against Fascism and Racism Politics of Joko Widodo Government over the Papuan People!

Long live the unity of Papuan and Indonesian People!

Fights against Imperialism, Feudalism, and Bureaucrat Capitalism!!

Jakarta, 22 August 2019
International League of People Struggle (ILPS) – Indonesia

Reference:
Rudi HB. Daman, Chairperson