Howick and Pakuranga Times - Times Newspaper OnlineSEPTER Manufandu was born into the Biak tribe on a small island in the north of West Papua, a territory under the control of Indonesia but with a significant native population. They moved to Jayapura, and he grew up in the high mountain areas of central Papua. After studying agriculture the University of Cendrawasih, he moved onto become the secretary of Folker, an umbrella group coordinating West Papuan nongovernmental organisations. Here to campaign against kwila wood the oppression of native Papuans, Septer spoke to the Times about the environment in Papua and its people’s struggle.
Papuan people consist of 356 tribes and most live close to the forest. Papua has lowlands, highlands, wetland areas and coastal and marine areas. 50 per cent of Papuans live in high mountain areas and 68 per cent live close to the forest.
Were you dependent on the forest growing up?
Yes. My parents went to the forest for food all the time. Cutting down sago palms, making traditional fires, planting sweet potatoes, animal hunting and getting fish from the river.
What changes have you seen there over your lifetime?
Logging companies have come and occupied people’s land and clear cut the forest. Papuan people live in the forest, but forest land is all controlled by government. It is difficult for Papuan people because all their activities in the forest and coast are their main traditional activity.
What have the tribes lost?
They lose food, they lose animals and traditional medicines and they lose culture because in the forest they implement traditional culture. It’s their home. Their perspective is the forest is their mother. The mother can give everything. It can protect, give food and give life. We believe every indigenous people have a perspective and local wisdom. But so far the Indonesian government has not recognised their rights. When we talk about rights it is very difficult because in Papua there is a stigma from the government and military: “You are separatists!”
So you have no voice?
Papuan people already established their organisation to amplify talking about their rights, the forest, and their land. When Papua got the special autonomy law in 2001, it says there is decentralisation of government and talks about rights, how to recognise, protect and empower. But seven years later it’s not effective. Nothing has changed.
What kind of trees are being taken? We lose many kwila because permits were given in 1984 to 68 companies. Now 15 still operate. In 2005 our report showed illegal logging occurs all over Papua. It reaches 600,000 m3 (cubic metres) a month and the logs are exported illegally.
Who are the companies?
Mostly foreign: Malaysian, Chinese and others. They operate outside the concession. The government gives a legal permit, and then they go outside that area. But illegal or legal are both causing destruction and deforestation.
The military is connected with all of this?
Yes. All activity from logging companies comes through the military.
What do you want New Zealand to do? Stop buying kwila. Support indigenous people. Destruction of the forest is like killing people because they lose everything. They cannot have food, they can’t get water. Logging companies pollute the water too. I also met people from the Maori Party and the Green Party in Wellington. We are learning about Maori people’s conditions here for information and how their strategy was established.
How does the Folker (non government organisations forum) work? What are you doing?
We were created to establish advocacy on 6 major issues: human rights abuses, natural resource problems, good governance, women and child health and HIV Aids. We have 64 member groups. Folker functions to establish policy and a voice for Papua outside about our problems.
What progress has been made?
We prepared a legal draft on the special autonomy law. We’ve tried to do research on the ten regencies in Papua.
Are Papuan people involved in NGOs?
Yeah, we have good relationship with them.
It sounds a bit like an alternative government, because they have no relationship with the central government?
Yes, yes.
What about the migration issue (of Indonesians into Papua)? We call it a ‘demographic disaster’ in Papua. In 1971 Papuan people were 96 per cent of the population, but in 2005 they were 59 per cent and non Papuans 49 per cent. We estimate in 2030, Papuans will only be 15.2 per cent of the population. We are becoming a minority in Papua. There is a paper on it by James Elmslie called “Genocide by Demographics”. I want to talk about the social impact. Mortality of women and children is very high in Papua; the health service is very bad. HIV is very high. It’s 2 per cent of the population, comparable to the problem in Papua New Guinea.
Are there signs of progress?
We have groups in Australia, in Jakarta, and in Finland for Europe. They help our situation. Last year the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights visited. Now we are trying to get groups to advocate for the position of Papuan people within Papua. We are trying to describe the Papuan position and work out how to take the next strategy since the special autonomy law. It’s a strategy for us, for NGOs and church organisations. We’re trying to look at all problems. But human rights abuses are very sensitive in West Papua.***
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