Special autonomy for Papua: The trickery of Jakarta's policy

For the last 20 years the 2001 Papua Special Autonomy Law has provided a cover for the expansion of a form of "guided democracy''. With the House of Representatives' unanimous decision to pass the revision of the law on July 15, the last vestige of “local autonomy” has now been removed. President Joko "Jokowi'' Widodo’s government reportedly made a swift decision, accepting the recommendations of the Home Ministry and a special state-sanctioned committee's amendment to the law, causing outrage among indigenous Papuans. This is part of a revisionist history that overlooks the structural violence, systemic racism and unjust laws that abhorrently distort any notion of democracy in Papua. These changes were instituted without consent of the Papuans. Article 77 of the 2001 Papua Special Autonomy Law stipulate…

This article was published in thejakartapost.com with the title "Special autonomy for Papua: The trickery of Jakarta's policy". Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2021/09/10/special-autonomy-for-papua-the-trickery-of-jakartas-policy.html.

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