West papua Political discourses of discontent Since its controversial annexation into the Indonesian state over the years 1962–69, what now constitutes the provinces of Papua and West Papua has been engulfed in a political and military struggle over the status of the territory. While Indonesia considers the territory to be an inalienable part of the republic, significant voices of Papuans inside the territory and in exile demand a revisiting of the controversial 1969 ‘Act of Free Choice’, which sealed the annexation into the Indonesian state. In addition to voices demanding self-determination, the low-level insurgency of the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) has since 1964 sought to militarily challenge the status quo. In addition to the over-arching issue of the political status of the territory, Papuan debates often focus on issues of both real and perceived social, economic and political exclusion; fears of ‘Islamisation’ linked to the influx of migrants from other parts of Indonesia; exploitation of the national resources of the two provinces by outsiders and acts of discrimination and oppression at the hands of members of the Indonesian security forces .
There is a pervasive sense that the Papuan nation as a whole is under threat and references to ‘genocide’ are not uncommon. I found pro-Israel references in Papuan discourse to be closely linked to discontent over the political status of the territory and Muslim migration to the area. Many of the websites and Facebook pages linking Papua and Israel, for example, include calls for Papuan self-determination .
This discontent stems from the history of the incorporation of what was then Dutch West New Guinea into Indonesia in 1961–69 and subsequent military repression .
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