By: Rebeca Marian)*
Papua is part of Indonesia and the government is trying to keep the situation there always safe and peaceful. To support conduciveness, a welfare approach is carried out, so that the Papuan people are safe and the economy is good.
Equality and justice are things that are given to all Indonesian people, including Papuans. The government really cares about the people on Earth of Cendrawasih, even President Jokowi is the only president who visits Papua the most. The reason is because Papua is part of Indonesia and there must be equality, ranging from economic matters to government attention.
But unfortunately there are some Papuan people who still feel neglected. Indeed, during the New Order there (formerly Irian Jaya Province) was somewhat forgotten, because of the centralized system that was implemented in Indonesia. However, when reformation was replaced with decentralization, it was hoped that each region would be more advanced with the given autonomy, including Papua.
To overcome this, the government will take several powerful steps. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD stated that the approach in Papua is the welfare approach. He conveyed this when receiving a visit from the Army Chief of Staff General Dudung Abdurrachman.
Mahfud MD continued, the welfare approach in question is that the resources owned by the government will be focused on helping the people’s prosperity. In a sense, the natural resources in Papua are indeed abundant and will be processed for Papuans. Likewise with other resources that are there (which belong to the government), all will be empowered for the people.
Mahfud MD continued, the welfare approach was in accordance with the presidential instruction number 9 of 2020 regarding the acceleration of welfare development in the provinces of Papua and West Papua. In addition, another legal basis is the special autonomy law, aka Law number 2 of 2021.
The welfare approach is important so that people don’t go hungry. This is because the geographical conditions of Papua are very different from those of Java and other islands, some of which are virgin forest and hills, making mobility a bit difficult. When mobility is difficult, they rely on local planes as a means of transportation, so automatically the price of finished goods is very expensive.
However, when there is assistance from the government and guarantees that the results of the government’s resources will be given to the people, the citizens will feel safe, because they get the helping hand they need. In addition, the existence of the Trans Papua road and other infrastructure built by the government will facilitate mobility and it is hoped that it will reduce the price of basic necessities.
The prosperity of Papuans is the government’s main goal, because they are part of Indonesia. There should be no news about the people on Earth of Cendrawasih who are starving or facing the threat of starvation due to drought or other natural disasters (which could have been prevented). The prosperity of the Papuan people is a manifestation of equity and social justice in Indonesia.
When meeting with Minister Mahfud MD, Army Chief of Staff General Dudung Abdurrachman stated that Papuans are our brothers and sisters and it is necessary to approach them with guidance and dialogue. In a sense, if there are rebel groups, they will be approached gently, because they are also Indonesian citizens.
It is hoped that dialogue and coaching will melt the hearts of the rebel groups and they will finally surrender in good faith. If there is a dialogue, they may feel that the government is listening to them.
Papua is also part of Indonesia, so the government must pay attention to it, so there should be no inequality there. Equitable development must be carried out everywhere, including in Cendrawasih Earth, and indeed the welfare approach has proven to be effective in the prosperity of Papua.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Jakarta
