Sharing Session: Papuan’s Talk

On 1st September 2019, IofC Indonesia held a discussion called “Papuan’s Talk”. This discussion was held to talk about Papuan’s conflict that recently happened in Indonesia. As seen in the media, people from Papua protested to the government after a miscommunication happened in Surabaya. After this incident in Surabaya, another protest and demonstration happened in Jayapura, Manokwari, Sorong, and Jakarta. IofC Indonesia invited Neas, our friend from Papua to share his perspective and thoughts.

Neas started by expressing his feelings as an Indonesian who comes from the eastern part of Indonesia. “When I was in Elementary School, I had only one teacher who teaches all classes and subjects in my school.” From this statement, Neas wanted to share that there is still a huge gap in facility and infrastructure between Papua and other provinces. Through the discussion, we understood that the protest and demonstration was such a time bomb. It was a lesson for both government and society to care and build more empathy towards our family in Papua. This incident taught us that our brothers and sisters who live in the east still feel marginalized and need help. Indonesia still has a lot of hope and possibility to bring back the peace. We hope that we can keep harmony by not taking actions which hurt Papuan people’s feelings and contain discrimination, racism, and intolerance.

Realizing that Papuans still need access to better education, we can help each other. For instance, Java, the most populous island has a lot of teachers and access to share to other people in other areas including Papua. By renewing the spirit of cooperation and breaking the barrier, Indonesia can show to the world that people in this country live peacefully and care for each other.

Aqil Aulia Wafda Amin