INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP - NEW BRIEFING
Indonesian Papua: A Local Perspective on the Conflict
Jakarta/Brussels, 19 July 2007: Local priorities in Papua are often quite different from those generally associated with the province.
Indonesian Papua: A Local Perspective on the Conflict*, the latest Crisis Group briefing to examine micro-politics in Indonesia’s troubled regions, puts the remote Boven Digoel district under a microscope. It highlights two issues of broader relevance to Papua as a whole: first, the dangers of ethnic politics often triggered by pemekaran (the division of provinces and districts into ever more administrative units) and, secondly, the social tensions that large-scale natural resource investment can generate.
“Most outside observers see only one dimension of conflict in Papua”, says Francesca Lawe-Davies, an analyst with Crisis Group’s South East Asia Project, “but it is far more complex than simply the Indonesian government vs. the independence movement. Equally important are tensions between different tribal groups, and between indigenous Papuans and non-Papuan settlers, as well as competition over political power and access to spoils”.
The clamour for pemekaran is not unique to Papua but it is especially problematic there, since it often leads to an increase in troop numbers and an influx of non-Papuan migrants – two core grievances of the indigenous community. It has also tended to intensify competition among tribal elites over access to political power and natural resource revenues. Pemekaran may, in some cases, help speed up development and access to basic services but it is critical that the government undertake rigorous assessments to ensure local ethnic and tribal tensions are not exacerbated.
Boven Digoel’s experience also illustrates the potential pitfalls of large-scale natural resource development. Outside investment in logging and plantations offers revenue and jobs to the region, but it can lead to social conflict. Indigenous Papuans resent the influx of non-Papuan workers, who often land the better-paid jobs. Logging and plantations damage or destroy local livelihoods, and there are often disputes over compensation. More fundamentally, the lack of clear legal standing for customary land rights under Indonesian law means that local communities have little ability to resist the expropriation of their land for logging or plantations.
“It is not the headline issues of independence and human rights which resonate most strongly in Boven Digoel but bread-and-butter concerns about land, livelihoods and ethnic identity”, says John Virgoe, Crisis Group’s new South East Asia Project Director. “There is a real risk that the rapid growth in logging and in oil palm plantations in many parts of Papua will contribute to social conflict. Establishing a clear legal framework for customary land rights and an arrangement for managing the flow of non-Papuan settlers would do a lot to mitigate this risk”.
Kimberly Abbott (Washington) 1 202 785 1601
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*Read the full Crisis Group briefing on our website: http://www.crisisgroup.org
The International Crisis Group (Crisis Group) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation covering over 50 crisis-affected countries and territories across four continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict.
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