Constructing Papuan Nationalism: History, Ethnicity ... - ScholarSpace

54 Richard Chauvelwere grounded in this feeling of being marginalized, colonized, and underthe threat of extermination, a feeling that had persisted and intensifiedthrough four decades of Indonesian rule. The promotion and protectionof Papuan interests was central to the Papuan proposals, as a clear distinctionwas made between the indigenous Papuans and the non-Papuan residentsof the province. The governor and deputy governor had to bePapuans, and Papuan domination of the legislaturewas assured through the creation of a Papuanupper house (MRP, Majelis Rakyat Papua,Papuan Peoples Assembly) consisting of customary(adat), religious, and women’s representatives.The deployment of military units by the centralgovernment in Papua would be made after thedeliberations (pertimbangan) of the Papuan parliamentand government (though not necessarilyneeding its approval), and Papua would have itsown police force responsible to the governor.Furthermore, there would be no more transmigration,and priority would be given to the employment of Papuans in allsectors of the economy. Finally, under the Papuan proposals for SpecialAutonomy, the Provincial government would be obliged to protect anddevelop Papuan culture. To this end, the Special Autonomy proposalsincluded provisions for the protection and representation of traditionalinstitutions, the advancement of human rights, and the promotion of ecologicallysustainable economic development. 91the Papuan proposals forthe Special AutonomyLaw were grounded inthis feeling of being marginalized,colonized, andunder the threat ofexterminationThe Process of Becoming PapuanThe ethnic identity that has emerged as a part of Papuan nationalism isreplete with paradox and irony. Firstly, while Papuans assert a Papuan ethnicityin opposition to Indonesians, the Papuans themselves are comprisedof some 310 ethno-linguistic groups. This diversity presents a challenge tothe forging of a common Papuan identity. Secondly, the formation ofPapuan identity has more in common with that of its Indonesian rival thanit does with the identity of some of its regional counterparts in Indonesia.Unlike, say, the Minangkabau or the Buginese, Papuans lack the backgroundof a shared communal, cultural, and historical experience. Rather,the contacts among Papua’s diverse societies have often been mixed, oftenlimited, and recent. Moreover, over the past century and a half the disparate