Page 347 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) mentions four sources of conflict, first, the
marginalization and discrimination of native Papua people; second, the failure of development
especially in education, health, and the empowerment of the people’s economy; third, the
violence done by the country in the past; and four, historical contradictions and constructing
the political identity between Papua and Jakarta (Tebay, 2009).
My assumption was that the dynamic of development has gone out of control in general
to review the role and function of the oral tradition. This oral tradition is always connected
with local content in society. The dynamic and paradigm of development in Papua does
not structurally involve the core and dynamic of the common people’s life because
tradition from the ancestors and the culture that goes from generation to generation are
not reviewed further.
We see more of the series of military operations that happened in West Papua: (i) Sadar
Operation 1965 – 1967, (ii) Brathayudha Operation 1967 – 1969, (iii) Wibawa Operation
1969, (iv) the military operation in Jayawijaya District 1977, Sapu Bersih Operations I and
II 1981, Galang Operation I and II 1982, (v) Tumpas Operation 1983 – 1984, (vi) Sapu Bersih
Operation 1985. In reflection, these operations showed some results, but culturally, they
only created scars in the local society’s ‘human reflection.’ Looking at the experience
from Timor Leste, as long as the military operations are not followed by some approaches
in social and culture, those things do not create prosperity in society (Syahnakri, 2013,
Tebay, 2009).
Papua’s culture and traditions experienced big shocks when these operations were done.
The approach that did not refer to the culture caused a complicated misunderstanding
because there were miscommunication and misconception among all parties. Psychological
or psycho-political pressure was applied because the aims and goals of those operations were
not transparent, meaning that they were not explained in the context of the understanding
by the Papua people as in Honiara, Solomon Islands, in June 2015.
The image of development that is practiced in West Papua should pay attention to
culture as a conditio sine qua non, which is something essential. Culture is an integral part
of human life as individuals and in the end the same culture is a must when living in a
society. The dynamics in the development is not accompanied by a critical evaluation
of the situation and condition of the real life of Papua people. This in turn will ruin the
image of Indonesian people reflected in the Papua people. Complaints emerging from
Papua actually come from feeling of having the characteristics and existence of being an
Indonesian to evaluate the life system that is not well organized.

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