Colour blind: Indonesian football fans love and respect Papuan players like Okto. –EPA
POLITICAL unrest this year continued even after the April general elections with, among many, the protests of Papuans triggered by racist slurs. At least 33 people died and thousands of others were evacuated following a riot in Wamena.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo did not bat an eyelid, in public at least. The few words from political elites did not address Papuans’ grievances. That is where the deep problem lies: the elites still see Papua through the eyes of the development and physical infrastructure. They also still gaze at Papuans as an uncivilised society; on the other hand, the Papuans demand highest respect for their human rights.
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