The action participants reminded everyone that bad experiences have already occurred since PT Freeport ( subsidiary of theAmerican mining corporation Freeport-McMoRan), which operates one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines in Papua , entered Timika, the town in Central Papua province, site of the Grasberg mine operated by Freeport). Mount Nemangkawi (also known as Puncak Jaya, Papua’s highest mountain and site of extensive mining operations) was completely destroyed, rivers were polluted with waste, land became barren, trees were completely cleared, and river and mountain habitats are threatened with extinction.

The Meepago community now faces similar threats. The entry of investment will destroy habitats, devastate natural resources for exploitation, and displace the living spaces of indigenous communities. The impact is multilayered: loss of livelihoods, destruction of sacred places, loss of forests, extinction of wildlife, barren land, and dependence on owners of production tools that further impoverish the people. Nature is destroyed to enrich a handful of local elites and capital rulers. As a result, community health is disrupted, life is trapped in poverty, Papuan people are tortured, hurt and even killed on their own ancestral land that has been destroyed.

Now, fifty-three companies have permits to operate in Meepago. These companies enrich local officials and Jakarta elites, whilst indigenous communities are merely made into objects. Investment is promoted under the pretext of employment, but in reality it makes indigenous communities into labourers for the capital owners. In the end, they become victims on multiple levels: ancestral land is seized, the right to life is marginalised, whilst local officials become actors who facilitate Jakarta’s agenda, knowing but pretending to be deaf and blind to the real impact that is destroying Meepago.

In this free speech action, a mama [1] spoke out loudly. She reminded everyone of the legal foundation of the Indonesian state: Pancasila [2], with the first principle of Belief in One Supreme God and the second principle of Just and Civilised Humanity. “We mamas and Papuan people know that. But today police and soldiers have actually become the main perpetrators: killing Papuan people, trampling, raping, intimidating, and forcing Papuan people to remain silent in the face of oppression,” she emphasised.

Furthermore, the mama affirmed that Papuan people uphold Belief in One Supreme God, because it is God who placed Papuan people to live and inherit the land of Eden [3] to be guarded and protected. Likewise with just and civilised humanity, for Papuan people this means loving each other, caring for, empowering, and protecting fellow human beings. However, the reality today is that the armed forces [4] and police [5] have actually become actors who kill the people, perpetrators of violations are protected, and democratic space is silenced with military force.

This state violence is also clearly visible in the detention of four political prisoners (Tapol [6]) of NFRPB [7] who have now been forcibly transferred to Makassar [8].

The transfer is a form of silencing space for expression. Families are forced to submit, communities are deprived of their right to obtain justice in Sorong [9], and law is implemented in an unjust manner.

Therefore, in this free speech action, the mama closed her speech with a call:

“Immediately free and return the four political prisoners to their homeland of Sorong, Papua!”

by Linda Mote