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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Colonialism in Papua: Filmmaker Dispute Highlights Divide-and-Rule Tactics

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Sources not specified Context piece
  • A police report against filmmakers of the documentary "Pesta Babi" (Pig Feast) by Yasinta Moiwend is seen as a tactic to discredit the film's message about environmental damage in Papua.
  • The article argues that Moiwend's change of stance against the food estate project, after previously opposing it, demonstrates a colonial-era divide-and-rule strategy used to suppress indigenous voices.
  • The author contends that expecting police to investigate intimidation allegations against Moiwend is futile, as the police are part of the effort to silence dissent regarding President Prabowo Subianto's flagship food and energy self-sufficiency programs.

The recent police report filed against the filmmakers of "Pesta Babi" (Pig Feast) by Yasinta Moiwend is not just a legal matter but a stark illustration of colonialism's enduring tactics in Papua, the article argues. This action, it suggests, validates the documentary's central theme: colonialism in the modern era.

The attempt to pit an actor and the filmmakers of the Pesta Babi against each other only proves that there is colonialism in Papua. It is a brazen divide-and-rule tactic.

— Article AuthorThe author's central argument framing the police report against the filmmakers.

Historically, colonial powers employed "divide and rule" strategies to maintain control. The article draws parallels to figures like Snouck Hurgronje in Aceh and C.C. Berg in Java, who used scholarly research to sow discord among local populations. Hurgronje fractured the relationship between secular nobility and religious leaders, while Berg fabricated historical animosities between ethnic groups. These tactics, the author contends, created lasting internal friction across the archipelago.

A primary characteristic of colonialism is the pitting of native people against each other, as was done by its most popular figures, Snouck Hurgronje in Aceh and C.C. Berg di Java.

— Article AuthorHistorical context provided to support the argument about colonial tactics.

In contemporary Papua, the article posits that a similar, yet more overt, strategy is at play. Yasinta Moiwend, who previously championed the defense of customary lands and spoke out against the environmental ravages of military operations and food estate projects, has reportedly shifted her stance. Her sudden change, including losing contact with her family, visiting a military post, and then traveling to Jakarta to report activists, is presented not as a coincidence but as a calculated move.

Mama Yasinta’s U-turn goes to show even more clearly that the food estate project in Papua is no trivial project.

— Article AuthorCommentary on Yasinta Moiwend's reported change of stance and its implications.

The article asserts that Moiwend's about-face highlights the significant backing behind the food estate project in Papua. This project, linked to a tycoon close to President Prabowo Subianto and supported by the military and police, is seen as a tool to suppress indigenous Papuan voices. The author dismisses the possibility of a genuine police investigation into intimidation claims against Moiwend, viewing the police as integral to a plan to delegitimize the documentary's message and dismantle opposition to Prabowo's key food and energy initiatives.

This boundless state power is suppressing the voices of indigenous Papuans. Mama Yasinta is simply a devious tool to silence them.

— Article AuthorThe author's interpretation of the motivations behind the actions against the documentary and its supporters.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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