January 18, 2008

Shackling Papuan intellectuals

Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua

Since the fall of Soeharto's regime, Indonesia has apparently begun to move toward democracy.

Indonesian citizens have found space to exercise their rights and duties without fear, pressure and intimidation
from the state.

Indigenous Papuans, for their part, have taken advantage of the democratic atmosphere to express their opinions
by writing books on some aspects of Papua.

Although there are only a few Papuan authors, it should be recognized that the publication of such books has
encouraged more Papuans to exercise their freedom of opinion and expression through writing.

However, the central government has not always regarded the new developments as good news. Instead of
being proud to see Papuans, who were once illiterate and relied on oral tradition to tell their stories, expressing
their ideas in written form, the government considers the exercise of Papuans' intellectual creativity something
suspicious if not dangerous.

Many books on Papua, particularly those authored by indigenous Papuans, are censored under certain criteria
set by the government or are banned entirely.

The latest book to be outlawed by the government is Tenggelamnya Rumpun Melanesia: Pertarungan Politik
NKRI di Papua Barat (The Sinking of the Melanesian race: The Unitary State of Indonesia's Political Struggle
in West Papua), written by young author Papuan Sendius Wonda, and published by Deiyai, a Jayapura-based
publishing house.

The introduction of the book is written by Rev. Socrates Sofyan Yoman, the chairperson of the Fellowship of
the Baptist Churches in Papua.

According to the chief of Jayapura prosecutor's office, Sri Agung Putra, Wonda's 247-page book contains some
elements that "discredit the government", "disturb public order", and "endanger national unity".

Police seized the book from shelves immediately after the ban was announced on Dec. 14, and ordered those in
possession of the book to give it up to the prosecutors.

Wonda's work is the second book on Papua on which the government has slapped a ban, after Peristiwa
penculikan dan pembunuhan Theys H Eluay 10 November 2001 (The Abduction and Assassination of Theys H
Eluay on November 10, 2001) by Benny Giay, a Papuan anthropologist, in 2002.

Like Wonda's book, the book on Theys was considered dangerous to national unity.

Theys was a Papuan pro-independence charismatic leader who chaired the Papuan Presidium Council, a body
formed by the second Papuan congress in 2000 to lead the peaceful struggle for the creation of an independent
state of West Papua. He was abducted and assassinated by the Army's Special force.
It seems that the same criteria will be applied by the Attorney General's Office to screen and ban any books on
Papua, more particularly those written by Papuans, in the future simply by saying the books contain elements
categorized as dangerous to the Indonesian government and state.

However, everyone knows the Attorney General's Office has never clearly explained how the books endanger
national unity, discredit the government, or disrupt public order.

By banning Papuan books based on unclear criteria, the central government shows its undemocratic face,
despite its persistent self-promotion as a champion of democracy.

The undemocratic aspect of the government has been and is being manifested through its inability to face
Papuans' dissenting opinions.

Instead of producing more books to encounter the content of the banned books, the government has abused its
power to stifle Papuans' intellectual creativity and freedom of opinion and expression.

After decades nothing has changed in the way the government ignores Papuans' freedom of expression and their
intellectual freedom. It remains restrictive in determining which books are appropriate or not for Papuans to
read.

The presence of the Indonesian government in Papua, then, is very suspicious for it seems to exist not to protect
the Papuans in exercising their intellectual creativity but to treat them cruelly.

The banning of books does not apparently constitute an isolated action. Rather, it reflects the government's
policy of threatening Papuans' intellectual freedom.

The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and Theology in Abepura, Papua.

Tag: Neles Tebay

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