Agus Alue Alua was born on 13 September 1962. ** He studied at the Catholic secondary school Dok V, Jayapura and later worked as a teacher,
then spent three years studying at the Catholic University in Leuven,
Belgium.
From 1997, he took part in discussions within Catholic circles about
the need to wage a struggle for the rights of the Papuan people, always
stressing the importance of eschewing violence and pursuing the path of
peace.
During the reformasi era that followed in the wake of the downfall of
Suharto, he made good use of the newly-found freedoms to discuss such
issues as development and the basic rights of the people of West Papua.
Under discussion at the time were two alternatives for West Papua,
autonomy or independence from Indonesia.
Agus Alua was one of several Papuan intellectuals to be appointed to the
Committee of 100 which held important talks with President B.J. Habibie
on 25 February 1999.* * According to a colleague, he impressed everyone
as he spoke with conviction and dignity: ‘We want our freedom,’ he said.
‘We want to organise our own homeland.’
The meeting ended inconclusively. The Papuans were advised to go away
and consider their situation but the talks were never resumed. He was
one of the first Papuans following that aborted encounter with Habibie
to spread the idea about the need for dialogue with Indonesia.
Catholic church leaders made good use of the more conducive political
atmosphere to discuss the role of the church in Papua’s political
struggle. While Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar OFM who was then the Bishop of
the Jayapura Diocese, was hesitant about siding with the Papuan people,
Agus who was a lecturer at the STFT -Fajar Timur (the High School of
Philosophy and Theology) at the time challenged these thoughts, warning
that if the Church failed to side with the Papuan people, he and others
would set up a Papuan Catholic Church.
At the historic Second Papua Congress in June 2000, Agus Alua was
elected deputy secretary-general of the Central Council of the
newly-created PDP, the Papuan Presidium Council, one of two Papuans from
the Central Highlands, along with Tom Beanal, and two from the coastal
regions, one of whom was Theys Hijo Eluay, who became chairman of the
PDP. Theys was assassinated in November 2001 by members of the army’s
elite force, Kopassus. As a member of the PDP Central Council, Agus Alua
played a key role in drafting documents that gave voice to the need to
struggle for the Papuan people’s aspirations.
He later became the Rector of STFT-Fajar Timor, where he had previously
been a student, as well as Director of the Catholic Senior Seminary. He
also wrote and published several books about the culture of the Dani
people and about a whole range of Papuan political issues.
However, the Papuan spring ended in 2002 when Kopassus agents
infiltrated the PDP leadership and set about destroying the movement
from within. Some of its leaders withdrew, several died under mysterious
circumstances, while others gave up the struggle and threw in their lot
with Indonesia. Agus remained true to the Papuan struggle, using all
means possible at home and abroad, frequently visiting countries in the
Pacific and Europe to win support for the Papuan people.
When the Special Autonomy Law, OTSUS, was enacted in October 2001, a
special council composed solely of Papuans, the /Majelis Rakyat Papua/,
the Papuan People’s Council, was set up which he recognised as an
institution of crucial importance in the fight for Papuan aspirations.
He became its first chairman with the support of Bishop Leo Ladjar, a
position he held for the first five-year term of the Council till
shortly before his death.
He fought strenuously throughout his term to expose the malicious
strategies of the central government which sought to undermine OTSUS.
From the start, the central government had been half-hearted about
OTSUS and had even delayed its establishment for several years, fearing
that it might become a springboard for Papuan political aspirations One
of the moves from the central government to undermine the unity of the
Papuan people was the decision to split West Papua into two provinces
which Agus Alua vehemently opposed. He continually worked hard to
counter the government’s attempts to create divisions and conflicts
among the Papuan people.
After the creation of the two provinces, he insisted that there should
be a single MPR and whenever Jakarta pushed for policies to undermine
OTSUS, he strenuously resisted, along with his close colleagues Frans
Wospakriek, former rector of Cendrawasih University, and Hanna Hikoyobi
who was deputy secretary-general of the MRP.
Among the many central government decisions he opposed was Presidential
Decree No 77 which banned the use of Papuan symbols such as the Morning
Star flag, the /mambruk/ bird and the Papuan song, /Hai Tanahku Papua,/
insisting that these were legitimate cultural symbols provided for
within the terms of OTSUS. Another of his decisions was to make it
obligatory for all positions of leadership in the Papuan provinces and
regions to be held by indigenous Papuans.
Before ending his term as chairman of the first MRP, Agus oversaw the
adoption of eleven recommendations. These recommendations included a
declaration that OTSUS had been a failure and should be returned to
Jakarta, that there should be an internationally-mediated dialogue,
facilitated by a neutral third party, and that a referendum should be
held on the question of Papuan sovereignty. These eleven recommendations
comprehensively set forth the basic demands of the Papuan people and
continue to inspire the Papuan struggle to this day.
Agus Alua was always steadfast in his support for Papuan efforts to make
Special Autonomy a reality against constant obfuscations from central
government, and continually used his outstanding intellectual abilities
to promote Papaun interests and aspirations.
At the time of his tragic death, the second-term MRP was due to be
inaugurated amid disputes about its membership, with Jakarta rejecting
the appointment of Agus Alu and Hanna Hikoyobi. According to sources in
Jayapura, these two had been elected as members of the new body, against
the wishes of central government. The appointment of the second-term MRP
is still in dispute; some of his colleagues believe that the pressures
and intimidation he experienced at the time plunged him into deep
depression, leading to his untimely death on 7 April. On that day, he
was found lying on the floor at home and was rushed to hospital but was
dead on arrival.
He is survived by his wife *Cornelia Pekey and his three children,
Liberta Claudia Alua, Liberto Claudia Alua and Hilerti Alua*
Carmel Budiardjo [with help from Octovianus Mote]
Source:
https://theblacklist.net/
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