Profil Dr Pater Neles TebayThe
most prominent diocesan priest in the Jayapura region definitely is Dr.
Neles Tebay, born in Moanemani, Wissel/Paniai Lakes 13 February 1964.
As a young boy he was in the boarding house of the High School under
direction of Franciscan Friar Jan Serps. He studied at Fajar Timur in
Jayapura, and, after his ordination in 1992, obtained a Masters Degree
in Manilla and a Ph.D. at the Urbania University of Rome. He worked at
the Diocesan Office of Jayapura for the Justitia et Pax issues and has
here published a large number of statements, brochures and the
impressive series Memoria Passionis di Papua, a year by year account of
all kind of violations of human rights in Papua. Neles Tebay has a very
lucid style of writing and is a regular author for articles in the
Englis-language newspaper The Jakarta Post.
Articles between 2000-2008 are published
in a book Papua, its problems and possibilities for a peaceful
solution. In march 2009 he has published a booklet of 50 pages on the
proposal the have a dialogue between Papua and the Central Government in
Jakarta, following the example of the peace talks in Aceh between GAM
and the Central Government in Jakarta. Tebay has put several conditions
for this talk:1. The OTSUS, or special autonomy as granted to Papua in
2000 has not been respected by the Central Government, it is
unilaterally interpreted and also violated by the Jakarta Government. It
must be a topic of discussion how the idea trule can be implemented;2.
Papua people should be united in the idea that independence is not a
good ideal for this community. They also should reject the idea that
some foreign power should mediate here (also the Dutch should not be
seen as possible rescuers by rejection of the 1969 act of free choice as
the valid basis of the incorporation of West Papua into Indonesia).3.
Papua people must learn discipline.
In the March 2009 event at the occasion
of the launching of the book it was clear that Papua people like hot
debates, often disagree among themselves and have no clear and realistic
strategy for the fulfillment of their goals.Among the social and
political leaders in modern Papua the Catholics have given quite
prominent leaders. Tebay’s predecessor as rector of the Fajar Timur
school, Lay theologian Agus A. Alua (RIP) is now chairperson of the
Majlis Rakyat Papua (some kind of ‘Senate’ besides the provincial
council of Papua; it is a body instituted under the special autonomy law
for Papua). In his fight for Papua rights, Tebay also asks for a
balanced judgment about the role and place of recent migrants in Papua:
‘we cannot live here without their help’. For some time Neled Tebay was
also the Vicar of the bishop, LLL or Leo Laba Ladjar who has less
outspoken political messages but wants to give a more pure religious
viewpoint about the present sytruggle of the Papua people.
Fajar Timur as a theological was
established for candidates for the priesthood and for lay people alike,
in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This is now seen as a measure taken
out of the condition of the time. In the early 1970s there were not yet
five candidates for the priesthood, now they have more than hundred
(even a number of 160 was mentioned). Therefore the bishop has decided
in 2008 to restrict access to the classes in Fajar Timur for candidates
for priesthood only and in the boarding house of the school only
diocesan candidates are accepted. This is done partly because the
Vatican urges the promotion of diocesan clergy and Saint Peter’s Funds
only provide money for diocan clergy, while the religious order have
their own houses close to Fajar Timur. There is still one female student
and few male students at Fajar Timur, but lay people are now sent to
the Catechetical College, that is established in another location in
Abepura as STPK, Sekolah Tinggi Pendidikan Katolik, following the model
of the catechical college, established in Malang by Father Paul Janssen
CM However, Neles Tebay wants to develop Fajar Timur in a more general
way and hopes to open next yar besides the theological faculty an new
department of antrology with culture studies as it most important
object. Fajar Timur has always specialised in cultural studies, much
more than other major seminaries and theological schools.
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