President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to assign Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka responsibility for Papua has fuelled speculation that he is being politically sidelined under the guise of a development mission to Indonesia’s most restive region.
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Gibran will have his hands full in trying to bring about lasting peace in Papua, as he has to build trust with tribal communities, including separatist factions, while obeying directives from the capital, according to analysts.
Resource-rich but underdeveloped, Papua remains Indonesia’s poorest region despite hosting major investments, including the Grasberg mine – one of the world’s largest gold and copper operations, run by PT Freeport Indonesia. Six Papuan provinces ranked among the nation’s 10 poorest last year, with inequality and a lack of infrastructure persisting in its mountainous interior.
The Indonesian government has been embroiled in a decades-long conflict with separatist rebels in Papua, dating back to the early 1960s when Indonesia annexed Papua from its former Dutch coloniser. Papua officially became part of Indonesia in 1969 after a UN-sponsored referendum, which resulted in voters in the region favouring integration. Insurgents, however, have claimed over the years that the outcome was fraudulent as the Indonesian military allegedly intimidated voters before polling.
On July 2, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra announced that Gibran would be given a “special assignment” focused on accelerating development in Papua. He said there was a “possibility” the vice-president would work directly in the region.
“The government [is concerned] about how to handle [the issues] in Papua. In the last few days, there has been a discussion to give a special assignment … to the vice-president to accelerate the development of Papua,” Yusril said.