Jayapura, Jubi – Jayawijaya students reiterated their opposition to the government’s plan to build the Mobile Brigade police headquarters in Wamena, due to start next March.
“We reject the plan from the beginning. Until now we are consistent about,” Soleman Itlay, who represents students from the Jayawijaya Student Association (HMPJ) and the Papuan Youth and Student Solidarity.
“The regent’s statement to media about the landowners’ acceptance was not making sense. It’s not true. The reality is people in Jayawijaya’s 40 sub-districts have rejected the plan,” Itlay told reporters in Abepura on Wednesday (25/2).
The regent must stop driving people to accept something that is actually rejected by people, he said. “Because it looks like it only serves the interests of the political elites.”
“Please do not sacrifice the people. The elites must stop playing their awful politics. We recognize their strategy to split the province and create Wamena Municipality. We saw there is a political game played by local and provincial elites. So we asked them to stop,” a Wamena origin student Benyamin Lagowan said.
Meanwhile the HMPJ’s representative Alius Himan said,” From the beginning we have rejected the plan to build the Mobile Brigade Headquarter. We need to clarify that those who said acting on behalf of HPMJ were not our members. It was not true. The HMPJ never approved their action. They are the regent’s closest supporters,” Himan said.
Further a student activist Niko Seledak said those who acted on behalf of the tribal chiefs from several sub-districts and met with the Papua Police Headquarter to voice their support were actually doing it for fame and money. “They are not the tribal chiefs nor customary landowners. They just came for fame and money,” he said.
Further he said the Jayawijaya Regent should be aware that Wamena people are still experiencing a severe traumatic due to the military operations since 1977 to the present time. People still think that the military or police officers as bad guys. So the regent must understand what they have been though in Wamena. (Arnold Belau/Rom)
