Leon R. G. Hunte
The shortlisted essay for the UWCSEA-APP Peace Essay Competition

The conflict in West Papua gets very little attention on both the Asian stage and in the realm of international politics. Perhaps this is for good reason; no world powers are actively involved, the conflict has been largely composed of a low-intensity guerilla war, and it is on the very fringes of Asia, on an island in the far east of the Indonesian archipelago. Nevertheless, the conflict, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and which continues to displace thousands every year, is highly important to the region and offers interesting opportunities to apply lessons from movements elsewhere. 60 years after the Dutch withdrawal from West Papua, this extremely complex issue continues to divide the political actors involved and the people of West Papua, Indonesia, and Melanesia, and this essay endeavours to explore a few steps towards peace in the region of Southeast Asia and in Asia as a whole.

The first step, as with many conflicts, is to put down arms. Despite the Indonesian commitment to political reform and increased freedoms in the post-Suharto era, which has seen increased autonomy given to provinces of the country in an effort to bring peace, West Papua remains in a back-and-forth of separatist attacks and government crackdowns. Groups like the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) attack both civilian and military figures, as well as symbols of Indonesian power in West Papua - as recently as the 4th of March, 8 people were killed by the TPNPB at a Telkomsel cell tower. Inevitably, these lead not only to military crackdowns, but also to anger, hostility, and racial animosity that lead to events like the deadly protests by Papuans in 2019.

Of course, laying down arms is easier said than done. Neither the separatists nor the Indonesian government want to be first, and the general atmosphere of mistrust means that even an open, transparent, and simultaneous disarmament is unlikely. In this situation, an external mediator is perhaps the best way forward. Australia is a candidate for this role, as its geographic proximity, historical connections with the island of New Guinea, and ability to oversee the logistics of disarmament being indications that it could work to bring peace in the conflict, along with involvement from a United Nations peacekeeping contingent. It is still doubtful that the separatists will be willing to relinquish the little protection they have against Indonesian authorities, and Indonesia is not going to be pleased with foreign military forces on its soil, but if both sides are committed to ending the violence, this is the way forward.

This process of disarmament is working towards a referendum of self-determination. This type of referendum was a condition of the Dutch withdrawal in 1962, and while Papuans did vote in favour of unification with Indonesia in 1969, the voters were 1025 handpicked inhabitants at threat of violence by the Indonesian military, out of a population of 800,000; this referendum, ironically called the “Act of Free Choice”, has been denounced by figures like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Existing organisations like the National Committee for West Papua (KNPB) and the International Parliamentarians for West Papua already campaign for a peaceful and free referendum of self-determination; it is this call that should be heeded.

The people of this territory have been denied the right to self-determination as outlined in the United Nations charter for decades, and they must be given the freedom, knowledge, and resources to take a complex decision. Both South Africa and nearby Australia have implemented truth commissions to investigate past crimes and human rights abuses to obtain a greater understanding of history and punish those responsible for oppression. While these are not independence or separatist movements, a truth commission would investigate both separatist and Indonesian crimes, to present a more accurate timeline of the West Papua conflict. This is dependent on the cooperation and transparency of both sides, and again, this is assuming both sides wish to achieve peace.

Lessons can also be learned from German unification in the 1990’s, where political freedoms previously not present were allowed to provide for a free and fair election. While German unification was not an easy process, and while the rapid transformation of East Germany from an authoritarian illiberal state to a democratic and free one was difficult, it has ultimately brought prosperity, both economically and socially, to Germany in the 30 years since. Similarly, West Papuans must be given the political freedoms to organise themselves, whether that be for or against association with Indonesia. Existing organisations like the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) must be given the freedom and space to operate, and those who wish to speak out for or against Indonesian Papua must be given the liberty to do so. It would be a mistake to prematurely conclude that the referendum would see West Papua leave Indonesia - it is possible, for example, that the inhabitants of Jayapura, a Papuan city with a “Very High” level of Human Development, would see Indonesian investment and integration as reasons to campaign for an Indonesian Papua, which could with enough support see a pro-Indonesian outcome in the referendum.

A referendum, free from coercion, with universal suffrage, and with oversight from internal observers would perhaps come in two parts, the first determining association with or secession from Indonesia, and the second deciding between independence and federation with Papua New Guinea in the case of secession, or alternatively autonomy or full integration in the case of continued association with Indonesia. These solutions will without a doubt be complicated, and many more considerations must be given to the social and economic impacts of the sorts of changes that could take place, as well as the implications of an end to the conflict to the world as a whole. That said, peace in West Papua will do a great deal to secure peace in this region of Asia as well as Oceania and the rest of the world.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.