REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The decades-long conflict in Papua will be a challenge for the new Indonesian president.
According to a political observer of Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Siti Zuhro, measures taken by the incumbent president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono were not effective to solve the problem. He has created political stability and security rather than made a breakthrough.
"We need anticipation, not just the establishment of special agencies. It is time for government to think about the best solution. Do not act like a firefighter who reacts only when a problem occurs," Zuhro said recently.
Two soldiers were gunned down by unknown assailants in Lanny Jaya regency, Papua, on Monday.
"They feel disappointed since government's promise to change has failed to come onto reality," she added and warning that Lanny Jaya was a prone area and the government needed to tackle the issue as a whole.