American Samoan congressman defends Papua stance
Updated
American Samoa's Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin denies he has performed a backflip over his support for the people of Indonesia's Papuan province. Faleomavaega is the chair of the Asia and Pacific subcommittee of the US Congressional Foreign Relations Committee. He has taken the lead in removing a provision in a bill which would have obligated the State Department to report back to Congress on human right abuses by Indonesia in the mainly Melanesian and Christian province.
Faleomavaega has previously been passionately committed to drawing US attention to the issue, but he says this latest move is simply aimed at making sure it doesn't interfere with Indonesia's upcoming presidential election.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin, American Samoa's United States Congressman; Jacob Rumbiak, West Papuan National Authority; Peter King, Australian academic and head of West Papua Project at the University of New South Wales' Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies
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HILL: The Congressman's action has surprised and disappointed West Papuan activists, who have alway warmly appreciated his support. One of them, Jacob Rumbiak, of the West Papuan National Authority, who lives in Australia, believes the change to the bill has come about due to pressure from the Obama White House.
RUMBIAK: I feel that disappointed and especially for Papua, it's very sad. Congressman Faleomavaega dropped the proper provision from their foreign relations bill under special from the Obama administration. America is trying to show its respects to the growth of democratic Indonesia, but I feel that dropping Papua like this, I believe that Congressman Faleomavaega still has an noble heart and respect our struggle for pure democracy, not like the democracy in Indonesia. He knows why the people of America elected Obama, he knows how we are being murdered everyday for the past 46 years.
HILL: Congressman Faleomavaega defends himself from accusation's he's performed a backflip, insisting he wants to ensure West Papua doesn't become an issue which might affect the Indonesian elections, which President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to win.
FALEOMAVAEGA: My interest is dealing with the interests of the needs of the people of West Papua has not in anyway diminished, okay? I forgot there is an upcoming election in Indonesia at this time and I felt that it would be very unfair to bring this issue in the middle of Indonesia's presidential elections and I think in fairness to the candidate, President SBY and everybody, that this issue should not be an issue that will have in anyway. I just want the people of Indonesia to make their decision and then hopefully come next month, whoever is going to be the newly elected president, we will then deal with the issues of West Papua.
HILL: Did you take the initiative in dropping these provisions in the bill or was there pressure from the state department or the Obama White House?
FALEOMAVAEGA: No, not in anyway, any pressure from the state department, not even from the embassy of Indonesia, even though I did receive their letters. But this decision on my part was way before any of the concerns were brought to bear as far as expressions through the official channels of communications.
HILL: Some of the West Papuans we've spoken to have expressed some disappointment in this stand. Should they be disappointed?
FALEOMAVAEGA: Well, I would say that sometimes things like this, it takes a little patience.
HILL: Jacob Rumbiak accepts some of the Congressman's arguments.
RUMBIAK: I look that said this part of tactica; education, to educate Jakarta to uphold democracy in Indonesia, if they understand and are implementing the right of democracy in Indonesia then of course they will respect the right of democratic of West Papuan people,
HILL: Do you think that President Obama's background growing up as a child in Jakarta has had any affect on US policy?
RUMBIAK: I hope not. I hope it has not influenced him, but I don't know. May be it also part of his history background, two years in Jakarta.
HILL: An Australian academic, Peter King, who heads the West Papua Project at the University of New South Wales' Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, also believes the American Samoan congressman's views have not substantially altered, and this latest move is tactical rather than strategic.
KING: He has a long term commitment to the West Papuan cause and there is a lot of pressure actually from the West Papuans, polite pressure for him to stay on that track, and of course he has taken more initiatives to raise the Papuan issue than any other American congressman. But he has also been charmed by the president and is hopeful that Indonesian democracy will led to a better deal for the Papuans. He's had amazing disappointments trying to get to Papua and make proper contact with the people, but now that he is chairman of the committee that he has been on for such a long time, where he has raised the issue, he is apparently feeling more pressure from the state department I would guess and his hope now is that the re-election of Yudhoyono which seems pretty inevitable will not make a proper initiative on Papua possible for the first time.
HILL: Do you think that he has reversed his position or is it as he suggests a tactical move, a temporary thing?
KING: Well, he's wavered like this before. He has actually come out and said that special autonomy was what the Papuans need and was transforming the situation. He's more or less withdrawn that and thinks that special autonomy is the rather corrupted deal that it is. I think he will stay with the Papuans one way or another and that specific solidarity seems to mean a lot to him and we'll see him twist and turn a bit more yet. But one hopes that he will actually succeed in getting the Papuan issue back on the table.
