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Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Contemporary Indonesia125In the past, migrant people held socioeconomic and politicalpower. The picture has changed drastically since the inceptionof the special autonomy. Political, economic, social, and culturalpowers shifted into the hands of indigenous Papuans. As mandated by Article 12 of the law, the governor anddeputy governor may only be indigenous Papuans. Similarly,all the members of the Papua People%u2019s Assembly (MRP) culturalbody are exclusively indigenous Papuans. Article 28 states thatindigenous Papuans can establish a political party. Indeed, the law provides greater freedom and selfdetermination rights in all sectors to Papuan people within theunitary state of the Republic of Indonesia. The data in 2011 indicated that the state budget allocationfor Papua reached Rp 28 trillion (US$3.16 billion). Otherprovinces received smaller portions of the budget, withGorontalo earning Rp 5.1 trillion, West Sumatra Rp 16.4 trillion,Banten Rp 13.5 trillion, and oil-rich East Kalimantan %u2014 one ofthe largest provinces in Indonesia %u2014 Rp 7.46 trillion.Using simple logic, if the Rp 28 trillion were distributed toeach of the 2.8 million people in Papua, everybody would enjoyprosperity.The question is why indigenous Papuans have remained sopowerless and underdeveloped that some of them have takenthe extreme path of secessionism. There must be somethingwrong with the implementation of the special autonomy.Nicolaas Jouwe, a self-exiled Papuan who fought for Papuanindependence for 40 years, said upon receiving his Indonesiancitizenship in May 2010 that Papua was an inseparable part ofIndonesia, then a Dutch colony, since 1928, when the territorycame under the auspices of the Ternate Sultanate.