The Implementation of Noken Election System in Papua, Indonesia

Abstract

The implementation of the Noken election system in several areas in Papua Province is still debatable whether this system violates the democracy principle or not. Noken shows the symbol of power and wisdom when the election and induction of traditional (adat) leader that describe their own democracy election system. Noken has been used as an instrument to replace the ballot box since 1971 until the last Indonesia presidential direct election 2019, especially in highland areas, which are difficult to access. This Noken election system has been legally supported by several decisions of Constitutional Court in 2009. By cultivating the theory of recognition, this chapter aims to study the significance of Noken traditional election system as a form government recognition to Papuan even though this system is not applied in all Papua regions. Furthermore, this chapter attempts to analyze the potential of Noken election system as an alternative solution to reduce the Papua prolonged conflict by guaranteeing the political participation of the adat community.