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Theys Hiyo Eluay:
"Don’t Deceive the Papuans"

The Papuans will struggle for independence peacefully. Theys Hiyo Eluay, the Chairman of Papuan Presidium Council, made this pledge last week while discussing plans to remove the Papuan separatist "Morning Star" flags. Only one flag, the one flying at the Irian Jaya Arts Council building, will remain exempt from the order. Theys will enter discussions about the flag removals on Thursday, November 9.

Morning Star flags have become symbols of Papuan independence. On October 6, several people died in Wamena when security forces attempted to haul down the flags that had flown there since the end of 1999. The action incited major riots and mass protests. Angry Papuans attacked the security forces and anyone considered non-Papuan, including the elderly and children, along a 25-kilometer road. Tragically, thirty people died in the violence.

What was Theys’ reaction? Don’t play with fire near gasoline, he said. In Wamena, a dispute over a woman could provoke a tribal war. The flags hauled down by the police are considered Papuan flags.

Afterwards, Theys met with President Abdurrahman Wahid. Following the meeting, the Indonesian government officially banned the hoisting of Morning Star flags a few days later.

In the following interview with this 62-year-old Papuan activist, Theys explains why Indonesia no longer has a territorial claim to Papua. In his opinion, Papuans achieved independence in 1961 before the Dutch handed over the territory to Indonesia in 1962. How does the "Morning Star" flag controversy relate to the larger struggle in Irian Jaya? Theys spoke with TEMPO Interaktif reporter, Philipus Parera.

Regarding your meeting with Gus Dur some time ago…

He still opposes our hoisting of that flag. I am extremely disappointed. He deceived the Papuan people and the Papuan Presidium Council. He even suggested that he understood the flags were a cultural symbol. He never mentioned that to us before. We are extremely disappointed with that statement.

Did Gus Dur really say that during the meeting?

Yes. Bu we disagree. I told Mr. President that I reject those words. That is the official Papuan flag, not a cultural symbol.

Could you have misunderstood the president’s statement?

He made the mistake. That is the flag of the Papuan people. Gus Dur knows that it is the Papuan flag, and he never said that it was a cultural symbol. He never used the word "culture" before. Therefore, don’t try to deceive the Papuans. I can’t accept that kind of statement.

When you spoke with Gus Dur about your feelings, how did he react?

He told me that many sides had attacked him. Well, for us, that is his business. But don’t give it (the flag) a stigma. Mr. Marsillam Simanjuntak has called the Morning Star flag a separatist flag. There is no separatist flag. The flag is the official flag.

Did Gus Dur say who was pressuring him?

I don’t need to mention names. You’re supposed to know the answer. But they definitely don’t come from other countries.

Why has the Papuan struggle for independence become more difficult?

I don’t think it’s difficult. Gus Dur doesn’t control Papuan sovereignty. Our sovereignty is in God’s hands. Therefore, we’re certain of victory. We’ll keep fighting without resorting to violence. But, if the government uses force to remove the flags, our human patience has limits.
We only ask the Indonesian government not to pretend that they don’t understand our struggle. Papua has never been Indonesian territory. The Youth Pledge offers some proof. The Youth Pledge mentions Jong Sumatera (Sumatra Youth) and Jong Ambon (Ambon Youth), but the Papuans had no representative in the Pledge. That is Indonesian history, not Papuan. Don’t force us to accept the Red and White (Indonesian) flag or accept the Sabang to Merauke (a city in southeast Irian Jaya) sovereign territory claim. It is a fraud that we will never accept.

What are the opinions of Papuans?

I was still in Sorong (when the president made his remarks). However, I’m convinced that the people shared my feelings. They were angry. The people, like God, can get angry. The president deceived us by first permitting the hoisting of Morning Star flag, then banning the activity. We support the President. But, if he changes his mind like that, why should we support him anymore? We’ve always supported him because we thought he understood our problems.

Can you comment on the Wamena problem?

I don’t need to talk about Wamena. Gus Dur already knows. The impatience of the security forces caused the problem.

According to you, how should the unrest in Wamena be handled?

The police should apologize to the people. They started it. They knew all along that the Papuan people have tribal wars and the like. Therefore, I always say, "Don’t play with fire near gasoline." That’s what happened in Wamena. The local people can go to war over women. In this case the police just arrive and shoot. The police must apologize. They can attend a customary ceremony. They can come before the traditional institutions and request a peace ceremony.

Have you conveyed that suggestion to the government and local security forces?

Why should we do that? There’s an old saying, "the land you step on has sky overhead." If they don’t know tradition, they are wrong.

Are there any other alternatives to a traditional settlement?

The Wamena case should be settled legally. The Police Chief must be dismissed and tried before a military court. The government must allow the hoisting of the Morning Star flags. One flag could be raised in front of the local traditional chief residences. Furthermore, flags should also be permitted on the house of the Papuan Presidium Council Chairman.

Didn’t the President already issue a ban?

We’ll meet the Regional Administrative Assembly (Muspida) again to discuss this matter. You should remember, if the Papuan flags are removed, the Wamena incident could reoccur in all regencies. Removing the flags could incite all Papuans to attack our non-Papuan brothers. Don’t let this happen. The government should take care to avoid another Wamena incident. After we return to Jayapura, we’ll request that the Assembly tell Mr. President not to let the Wamena incident reoccur throughout the province. I am ready to take the lead.

Therefore, you still favor raising the flags in certain places?

Yes. That’s the best way for now. Furthermore, the government should immediately review the history of the Papuan flag. That’s the root of the whole problem. Therefore, we’ll meet Mr. President once again.

What if he still doesn’t grant permission?

Well, I can assure you, Papuan hands will not attempt to remove the flags. If they (the security forces) remove the flags by force, go ahead.

What about Gus Dur’s suggestion to replace the Morning Star flag with another symbol?

The Papuans will never replace their flag. They only have one, the Morning Star flag. That’s final. Let me say it this way, if the Indonesians were asked to change their flag from the Red and White flag to another flag, could they do that? Gus Dur should answer this question first. If their flag can be changed, the Papuan flag can also be changed. This flag is a national flag, not an ordinary symbol.

But, do the Papuans really need independence? What about the special autonomy option?

One result of the Papuan Congress was the government’s obligation to build and develop their people, including the Papuans. But, the Papuans have the right to continue their demands. Freedom and autonomy are two different issues. If the government grants us autonomy, go ahead. It’s their obligation. But, we will never beg them for special autonomy.

Many people say, after special autonomy is given to the Papuans their calls for independence will lessen.

The aspiration will never lessen. Never! Earlier, aspirations for independence were crushed by the threat of armed force. The people who openly supported the Free Papuan Organization (OPM) were captured and killed. The New Order government was very brutal. We were powerless. Well, Suharto has stepped down now and we have openness. We’ve been waiting for this moment to come. It’s not just a matter of legal problems with Indonesia. We have different skin and culture. Don’t force us to be like Indonesians. That’s why we always support the continuation of Papuan history.

What do you mean?

For example, Papua has been free since December 1, 1961. We had the Morning Star flag and Hai Tanaku Papua as our anthem. We also had the name Papua. At that time we were still not part of the Indonesian Republic. We reject the opinion that we’ve always been part of the Indonesian Republic.
Suddenly, we were taken over by Bung Karno (Indonesian first president) with his Trikora (People’s Three Commands). Indonesia never honored our sovereign rights. In the first point of the Trikora statement, Bung Karno ordered the dissolution of the Papuan "puppet" nation created by the Dutch. Implicitly, the statement acknowledged a nation called Papua. Why has this history never been brought to the fore?

But, why did the Dutch surrender Papua to Indonesia at the United Nations?

As I’ve stated before, our rights have never been acknowledged. They (the Indonesians) made that decision abroad without consulting the Papuans. They changed the name to West Irian. The Indonesian government took this matter to the United Nations. In 1962, there was a debate in the UN between Indonesian and the Dutch government. Unfortunately, the Papuans were never involved in the talks. That’s so odd. Why were other nations deciding Papuan problems? Indonesia and the Netherlands violated Papuan human rights. The UN, particularly the US, was also involved. The US had interests here.
The United Nations Secretary-General, U Than, requested Bung Karno to organize the Asian-African Conference. The Secretary-General needed Soekarno’s support to maintain his post. Soekarno asked for a return favor. Indonesia would get West Irian. The US then urged the Dutch to surrender West Irian to Indonesia through the UN. The Dutch had no right to give Papua to Indonesia. We were already independent. How come the Dutch and Indonesia spoke for Papua? For these reasons, the congress delegated the Papuan Presidium Council to organize dialogues and lobbying nationally and internationally.

Where have you lobbied internationally?

We’ve have already begun lobbying. Some time ago, we attended the meeting at the UN together with the Nauru and Vanuatu delegations (two Pacific Islands nations). The presidents of those two countries spoke about the Papuan problem before the UN. One hundred and sixty national leaders attended that UN meeting.

Are there efforts to talk with the Dutch?

There will be in November. We want to ask them why they didn’t declare Papua free in 1961 during the meeting with Indonesia at the UN session. Why has the Dutch government remained quiet all these years? They were historical witnesses.
We will also meet the US government. We want to ask on what basis they created the New York agreement. It was a US concept. They feared that a communist movement would enter the Pacific. Secondly, the US government coveted Papuan riches. They established the Freeport Mine Company, didn’t they? We have heard rumors of a travel ban on all members of the Papuan Presidium Council. Well, if those rumors are true, no problem. We won’t oppose it.

The government intends to divide Papua into three provinces…

Not three, 100 is OK. More important, really, is the return of the people’s rights. After that, we can arrange our own rules. Now, they say Papua still lacks human resources. I want to ask them something. When Indonesia obtained its independence, did it have abundant human resources?

According to rumors, the government once offered you a certain position….

They did. But, it’s not the basic problem. Yes rumors have mentioned that I was offered a certain position. However, I don’t want to talk about that problem. That’s normal for an Indonesian citizen. However, if I accepted the offer, I would have betrayed the struggle.

Did Gus Dur ever offer you anything?

He told me a couple of times that I would make a good governor. But, I told him that I am too uneducated to take that job. I never dreamed of that job. He then said, "I don’t need a clever man to be Papuan Governor. A clever man might deceive the people. People love Mr. (Pak) Theys. So, you suit the governor position." I told him, "Mr. President, thank you very much for your offer. It’s such an honor. But, I can’t accept it."
He asked me three times. I thought it was a joke. He once asked me if I would like to become a Regional People’s Consultative Assembly member. Before that, Akbar Tanjung nominated me as a member of the House of Representatives (DPR). At that time, they were called the Golkar Party. But, I still had the old Golkar card. If I accepted their offer, it won’t be appropriate.

The House of Representatives opposes Papuan independence. They even oppose Gus Dur’s idea to change the name "Irian Jaya" to "Papua"…

Which House of Representatives? We have nothing to do with the House of Representatives. The Papuans look to the Papuan Presidium Council, not the House members. We’re a nation, period. If they don’t understand Papuan history, they should shut their mouths. Many Indonesian people still don’t own sandals. What do the House members do for those people? I tell you, Papua is the "rice plate" of Indonesia. Don’t forget that. Don’t be afraid, we’ll still give donations to Indonesia after we obtain our independence. We don’t have many people and don’t want to be greedy. We want acknowledgement and understanding.

What will you do if the struggle fails?

We’ll definitely succeed. This is God’s Path. All Papuans are praying.
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