The Indonesian Government Blocks Operations Of International Humanitarian Group In West Papua
The Jakarta Post, August 6, reported that the Indonesian government has banned Cordaid, a Dutch funding agency, from operating in West Papua.
Cordaid has operated in West Papua for over three decades, assisting Papuan NGOs and the Papuan people more generally
with a focus on social development and economic empowerment for the poor.
The ban came in the form of a refusal by the Ministry of Social Affairs to extend an existing Memorandum of
Understanding that had expired in April of this year. The Government announcement that Cordaid must end its activities
came in the form of a July 23 letter from the Social Affairs Ministry that responding to the standard request for an
extension.
In rejecting the extension the Ministry, according to the Post, voiced suspicions regarding Cordaid's exchange program
between Papua and Mindanao, a restive region in southern Philippines --the program promoted participation of women in
development from a faith-based and women's perspective. The Government suspicions included purported Cordaid support for
separatist elements.
In her written response to the Ministry, Cordaid sector manager Margriet Nieuwenhuis strongly denied that Cordaid helped
Papua separatists. "The participants met only with Mindanao community groups and women leaders, not with political
actors," Nieuwenhuis said, adding that the program had been stopped.
The Jakarta Post reported that the July 23 letter also alleged that Cordaid had violated a "principle provision" in the
memorandum of agreement with the Indonesian government. The letter claimed that "Cordaid has been involved in commercial
and political activities by being a shareholder of Bank Andara and sponsoring the participation of a community group in
the "Initiatives for International Dialog (IID)." The Indonesian ministry contended that IID supported secessionist
movements in southern Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines and Indonesia." The government requested that Cordaid hand over
ongoing projects to its local partners and neither expand the scope of the projects nor extend deadlines.
While adhering to the ban, Cordaid said its share in Bank Andara was less than 10 percent and that its participation in
the program was directed toward support of microfinance institutions, particularly those with a strong focus on poverty
reduction, helping clients who are considered too poor by other financial institutions to get loans.
The government's policy to ban Cordaid was criticized by prominent human rights lawyer Totdung Mulya Lubis who said the
decision was taken "too hastily" and without sufficient evidence. "It could set a bad precedent and lead outsiders to
believe Indonesia is isolating Papua," he said. Lubis pointed out that the government needed foreign donors to help
develop Papua, one of Indonesia's poorest regions. The Post quoted Lubis as observing that "to stop foreign social
funding is akin to killing off NGOs in Papua, which almost entirely depend on overseas funding.
WPAT Comment: The decision to close the Cordaid office in West Papua parallels the decision to close down operations
there by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 2009. Cordaid, like the ICRC, is seeking to negotiate
its return to West Papua quietly. Shutting down the operation of these respected humanitarian organizations is
consistent with the Jakarta policy to limit international assistance to Papuans who for decades have suffered from a
dearth of basic humanitarian services and respect for human rights, areas of need that Cordaid and the ICRC respectively
were manifestly addressing. The decision also is consistent with Jakarta's long standing campaign to limit international
awareness of Papuan suffering. Finally, it is noteworthy that closing the operation of these two organizations which
have done so much good for Papuans was a decision taken exclusively by Jakarta with no involvement of Papuans. These two
episodes underscore that the promise of "special autonomy" is hollow.
ENDS