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Persecution by Indonesia in West Papua?

Friday, 7th April, 2006

The position of Indonesian President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the granting of asylum by Australia to 42 West Papuans is quite understandable. The United Nations convention defines refugees as people who have "a well-founded fear of being persecuted" for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, and among other things, are not war criminals or people who have committed serious non-political crimes. President Yudhoyono says the 42 will not be persecuted if and when Australia returns them to West Papua. Not to return them means that Australia thinks that the 42 have a "well-founded" fear - thinks he is a liar.

The position of the Australian Government is anything but clear. Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone, when announcing that temporary protection visas were being granted to this load of boat people, said: "Decisions on visa claims are made by individual decision-makers in my department, in accordance with international legal obligations and Australian domestic law and on the basis of claims made by individual applicants." She might have added: "Don't blame me, blame the public servants. I know nothing." The ministerial statement made no mention of what those "international legal obligations" actually are. Whatever you do, don't mention that word persecution.

Prime Minister John Howard certainly did not mention it yesterday when he spoke on talk back radio in Perth of Indonesia as the world's third largest democracy and of President Yudhoyono as the world's great Muslim leader.

Indonesia is now the third largest democracy in the world. It’s led by one of the most capable, moderate, Islamic leaders in the world. Bambang Yudhoyono is a symbol of moderate Islam. He is the face of the future as far as moderate Islamic governments are concerned and that is why it’s very important that the democratic change in Indonesia be consolidated and take root.

And later this question and answer:

CALLER:

Good morning Prime Minister, it's a more a statement of disgust rather than a question. I'm completely gob smacked the way you kowtow to Indonesia and come out with a statement that West Papua is now part of the sovereign nation of Indonesia. What a load of rubbish. ...

PRIME MINISTER:

Well thanks Peter, we obviously disagree on this. Indonesia has gone through a very difficult transition to democracy. It's easier for a country like Australia that's never known any other system to take it for granted, but when you've had authoritarian government, such as Indonesia had for many years, and the sort of history Indonesia's had, I think the transition to democracy is deserving of praise. It's not a perfect democracy but gee, it's a big country, it's the largest Islamic country in the world and surely it's in our interests without in any way surrendering our dignity and our independence, to try and work with Indonesia. I defended the decision to grant the asylum to those 43 people because it was done in accordance with Australian law. So I don't think anybody can say I'm kowtowing to Indonesia. If I'd been kowtowing to Indonesia I'd have moved heaven and earth to overrule that decision to stop it happening in the first place. I think that criticism is inaccurate and unfair and not sustained by the facts.

Anyone listening to those Prime Ministerial words would surely be puzzled still as to what the Australian policy is. If Indonesia under the good and great Dr Bambang Yudhoyono has become so democratic why did the anonymous public servant who granted the visas think otherwise?