VZCZCXRO6754
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2065/01 2121013
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 311013Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5603
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4172
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0950
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 3377
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0616
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1624
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0195
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002065 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INR/EAP, EAP/ANP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM EAID ID
SUBJECT: PAPUAN CIVIL SOCIETY DISCUSSES SPECIAL AUTONOMY 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 1925 
 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 1339 
 
JAKARTA 00002065  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: A recent USAID-supported study of Papuan 
civil society demonstrates that opinion remains divided on 
the Special Autonomy Law.  Papuan interlocutors agree that 
the GOI has not done an effective job implementing the law 
and that Papuans have yet to see the full benefits of Special 
Autonomy.  For its part, the central government remains 
publicly committed to full implementation of the law.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
¶3. (SBU) IMPLEMENTATION LAGGING:  Although enacted six years 
ago, implementation of Papua's Special Autonomy Law has 
lagged.  The GOI has yet to issue the regulations or create 
the institutions necessary to devolve powers from the central 
to the provincial government, as provided for in the Special 
Autonomy law.  We understand that in June President Yudhoyono 
issued his Presidential Instruction on the Acceleration of 
Development in Papua, designed to advance implementation of 
the law.  This "New Deal for Papua" was delayed earlier this 
year when the two Papuan governments requested changes in the 
draft.  Also unresolved is the relationship between Special 
Autonomy and the legally questionable creation of two 
separate provinces: Papua and West Papua (Ref B).  This has 
led to some discussion of revisions to the law. 
 
¶4. (SBU) LISTENING TO PAPUAN VIEWS:  With support from 
USAID's Democratic Reform Support Program, the civil society 
umbrella organization Pokja Papua recently examined Papuan 
attitudes toward Special Autonomy.  From November 2006 
through January 2007, Pokja Papua conducted interviews and 
focus group discussions with a cross section of Papuan 
stakeholders and presented their findings at a July 27 
seminar in Jakarta.  (Note: Because of GOI sensitivities 
concerning Pokja Papua, USAID did not widely publicize its 
support of this project.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) IMPLEMENT, DON'T REVISE:  While there was no clear 
consensus among Papuan government, religious, NGO and 
traditional leaders regarding the Special Autonomy Law and 
its application, there was agreement on a number of key 
points.  Papuans are unsatisfied with the incomplete 
implementation of Special Autonomy and divided on any 
potential revisions to the law.  Many Papuans point to a lack 
of political will on the part of Jakarta policy-makers, 
rather than problems with the legislation, as the reason 
implementation has stalled.  Papuan suspicion of Jakarta's 
motives is increasing, largely because of what they see as a 
lack of transparency in the implementation process and a lack 
of communication between the central government, especially 
the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Papuan leaders.  Persistent 
rumors that the central government plans to revise the 
Special Autonomy Law only serve to exacerbate these 
suspicions.  Papuan leaders warn that revision of the law 
without an assessment of weaknesses in the current law and 
wide-ranging public consultation in Papua would generate 
greater tension between Papua and Jakarta.  Most of Pokja 
Papua's interlocutors stressed that delivering on the 
economic promises of Special Autonomy, especially improving 
the standard of living in Papua, remains central to securing 
widespread support in the province. 
 
¶6. (SBU) RECENT SEMINAR: Pokja Papua's July 27 seminar 
provided a forum for Jakarta-based Papua watchers to comment 
on Special Autonomy.  Chairman of the Regional Representative 
Council's Special Committee on Papua Edwin Kawilarang called 
for the law's revision.  He emphasized the need to 
accommodate the division of Papua in the Special Autonomy 
framework and called for the creation of a commission on 
Papua responsible to the President to manage the 
implementation process.  Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, a Golkar 
parliamentarian and key legislative player on both Aceh and 
Papua autonomy laws, dismissed the call for revisions.  He 
acknowledged that implementation remained incomplete but 
stressed that the law should be implemented as written. 
 
JAKARTA 00002065  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) MORE WORK NEEDED BY GOI:  As emerged during CODEL 
Faleomavaega's recent visit (Ref A), Papuans broadly agree 
that the autonomy law needs to be fully implemented.  There 
is a significant degree of exasperation that the law has not 
been fully implemented, which continues to undermine the 
GOI's credibility in Papua.  For its part, the central 
government remains publicly committed to full implementation 
of the law. 
HUME