Sub-district Heads and People Refuse the Appointment of KPU Jayawijaya Members

Wamena, 3/2 (Jubi) – Joined the Community Forum of Indigenous Democratic Affair, Sub-districts heads and local community of Jayawijaya District refused the appointment of five new commissioners/members of the Election Commission (KPU) of Jayawijaya District as no representation of Baliem natives in the commission’s structural.

The statement was addressed in the peace demonstration in front of the House of Representative of Jayawijaya District, Monday (3/2) requesting the annulation of the appointment of five new member of KPU Jayawijaya District. Around hundreds of people and forty sub-district heads urged the People’s Representative Council of Jayawijaya District to withdraw the appointment and inauguration of the selected members of KPU Jayawijaya.

Through his speech in front of the parliament members of Jayawijaya District, the Chairman of Sub-district Heads Forum of Jayawijaya District who is also the Head of Napua Sub-district, Anthor Matuan, stated that the members of KPU Jayawijaya District who was appointed by KPU Papua could not be accepted by the community since the Baliem women and men are not accommodated.
“The future of Baliem People was insulted, Jayawijaya people refused the present of five selected members of KPU Jayawijaya,” Anthor Matuan said.

He admitted that the native Baliem women-men are able to involve in politic, do not strict the democratic room in Wamena. Even, he urged the selected members of KPU Jayawijaya must be returned to KPU Province Papua. “There is no Wamena people who become the member of KPU in other regions, why there are non-Baliem people becoming the member of KPU in Wamena? Therefore we asked the parliament to ask KPU Papua to withdraw the appointed members of KPU Jayawijaya,” he said.

Anthor even called the Chairman of KPU Papua who was raised and worked in Jayawijaya as a traitor because he was not able to accommodate the native Baliem Valley.
“If our aspiration was not listened by KPU Papua, we will boycott the legislative and president election and there would not be an election in Jayawijaya District,” he said.

The Head of Wamena Kota Sub-district, Lince Kogoya, said the similar thing. She called for the democratic rights in the highland area in particular Wamena could be respected and do not play the dirty politic.

“KPU Jayawijaya will mean nothing without the highlanders, please respect us as the highlanders,” she said.

To respond the aspiration, the Vice Chairman of the People’s Representative Council of Jayawijaya District, Alexsander Morin, said the parliament would call the selection team of KPU Jayawijaya in order to discuss about this issue.
“During the selection team was working, we were not get involved in the team, therefore we will push this aspiration,” he said.