Two Indonesian constitutional law experts have called on the government to postpone the division of Papua province until it establishes the Papuan People's Assembly.
The two, Sri Soemantri and Jimly Assidiqie, told the Jakarta Post that failure to honour the law on autonomy could create further problems.
They say the autonomy law which creates the assembly is newer than the 1999 decree on the province's division which was suspended because it went against local aspirations.
The division is opposed by pro-independence Papuans who claim it is part of a divide-and-rule policy while the governent says Papua is too big and needs to be split.
Jimly says the government should set up the assembly first and then consult it over the division.
And Sri says the failure to set up the assembly shows that the government is not serious about granting Papua autonomy.
