Achmad Faisal | Master’s Degree of Law Student
“ULMWP deceived the Papuan people because their leader, Beni Wenda, lived in luxury in Oxford. The TPNPB does not recognize the ULMWP leader.“ (Goliat Tabuni,, TPNPB OPM).
Papua’s natural wealth is still a magnet. No wonder there are separatist groups, lure of independence, trying to separate Papua from the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). The jargon that this group is selling to the Papuan people is human rights (HAM) and the liberation of Papua from colonialism.
It is a faction of the West Papua National Liberation Army / Free Papua Organization (TPNPB OPM) and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). Both of them often spread acts of violence in the land of Cendrawasih on the grounds of the Papuan struggle.
For the sake of personal obsession, this group carried out serial violence that claimed victims both indigenous Papuans, civilians, members of the TNI-Police.
However, behind the claims of the Papuan struggle, the TPNPB-OPM and ULMWP factions were enemies. Both are fighting for power in Papua. They knocked over and tackled each other in order to get sympathy and influence.
As announced by the TPNPB OPM recently. Through its leader General Goliat Tabuni, the TPNPB announced a press statement with four points. First, TPNPB said that ULMWP was not recognized by TPNPB because it did not respect the constitution.
Second, according to the TPNPB, what ULMWP did to make a temporary Law, was an act of treason against the people of West Papua. Third, TPNPB does not recognize ULMWP leaders on the grounds that ULMWP does not represent the voice of the West Papuan people and TPNPB does not provide space for ULMWP. Finally, the TPNPB assessed that ULMWP was only deceiving the people and its presence only gave empty hope.
Goliat said, ULMWP deceived the Papuan people because their leader, Benny Wenda, lived in luxury in Oxford. According to Goliat, the temporary law issued by the ULMWP was in the interest of Benny Wenda at Oxford. Meanwhile the TPNPB struggled furiously in the forests of Papua for five decades.
The OPM, which was born in 1971, according to Goliat, is the mother of the struggle. Meanwhile, the new ULMWP was founded in 2014, its leadership was not recognized by the TPNPB.
The digital footprint noted that in 2019, the TPNPB-OPM and ULMWP factions heated up. This was because the ULMWP leadership rejected and insulted the TPNPB struggle in the case of the shooting at Mount Kabo and the attack on the TNI-Polri Post in Mbua District, in May 2020.
In the political friction, the head of the Free Papua Organization (OPM), Jeffrey Bomanak, emphasized that the TPNPB-OPM is an independent group and not part of the ULMWP faction. TPNPB views that ULMWP only seeks the popularity of power briefly and sells the suffering of the Papuan people to foreigners. ULMWP often carries out massive provocations in the media by selling lies of the people’s suffering data without evidence. The aim is none other than so that security stability in Papua is not conducive.
Meanwhile, in the eyes of ULMWP, what the TPNPB OPM group has done so far is not in line with the ULMWP initial principles.
From this clash it can be read clearly if the Papuan separatists have an agenda for their group. The provocation carried out by the TPNPB-OPM and ULMWP was only terror that disturbed the people of Papua. They clearly don’t care about the fate of the Papuan people. Human rights violations that are always addressed to the Police and the TNI are only scapegoats for their cruel actions.
This terrorist act by a separatist group should be sharply criticized by the Papuan people. Don’t believe the sweet promises of the separatists. Because this group makes society only as a tool for their interests.
The series of atrocities, provocations and actions of other separatist groups can be used as a mirror for the Papuan people in their actions. On the other hand, the separatist provocative sentence that brought down the Indonesian government also needs to be scrutinized. Massive development both in terms of infrastructure and human resources in Papua by the Indonesian government is a fact and evidence if Indonesia is committed to advancing Papua. ()
