By: Rebecca Marian) *
Opinion, suaradewata.com – Special Autonomy (Otsus) for Papua and West Papua is very important to continue as an effort to assist the Papua provincial government to support various development bureaucracies in the regions. Such as the development of infrastructure, health, education and the economy of local communities in the Land of Papua.
Rev. Albert Yoku S.Th as the former Chairman of the Synod in Tanah Papua as the Chairperson of the Jayapura Regency FKUB stated that Otsus is a gift from God or a blessing given and as an effort that there must be equal distribution of all governments in Papua.
Albert emphasized that this special autonomy is the good intention of the government for indigenous Papuans, so it must be continued, it only needs to be evaluated on the journey so far so that in the future it can be even more useful.
Meanwhile the Chairperson of the Papua Province PGGP Pdt MPH Mauri S.Th who is also the Deputy Chairperson of 3 PGGI said that Otsus is also a foundation in building for prosperity in building for the prosperity of the people in remote parts of the country, especially in Papua. So this needs to get support in its implementation.
Otsus Papua is proven to be able to bring prosperity to the Papuan people, this is evidenced by the ease with which 40 Papuan women attend Kowad’s education in Bandung.
In general, Otsus has had impacts such as increased education, improved infrastructure, health, which have been felt directly by the Papuan people. And now the employment path will be made easier so that it will reduce the unemployment rate in Papua / West Papua.
On a different occasion the chairman of the central highlands in Wamena Sem Kogoya explained that Papua’s Otsus had a positive impact. If there is an issue about the rejection of Special Autonomy Volume 2 by certain individuals, it turns out that they are part of a certain political elite to divide youth and the Papuan people.
He and the residents of the mountains admitted that they would try their best to stop the demonstration plan from happening again in Jayapura.
Of course, the Papuan people should not misjudge Otsus, let alone be touched by irresponsible people for rejecting the presence of the Otsus program.
If Otsus has a deficiency, of course the cause must be found and corrected together. That way the benefits of this special autonomy program will be felt by the community.
Billy Mambrasar as the special staff of President Joko Widodo once said that the results of a survey with a sample of 500 Papuan millennials, they have the view that Otsus is a process and needs continuous improvement. For example, the use of the budget that must be improved.
He said that Otsus is a process of building body and soul. Therefore, the good things that have been obtained from special autonomy, such as in the education sector which is an investment in human resources, continue to be improved. On the other hand, he agreed that in order to get better, it is necessary to listen to the aspirations of the AOP so that special autonomy can run better.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Information Center (Kapuspen) of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), Benny Irwan, said that until now there has been no change in the General Policy on Special Autonomy for Papua. He added that the special autonomy fund will be sourced from the State Budget (APBN) which will end in 2021. He said, based on the results of the evaluation, the special autonomy fund allocation will still be continued. Based on Law number 21/2001 on special autonomy, it is said that the validity period of the Papua special autonomy fund ends in 2021.
The discussion of the Special Autonomy Bill is currently still ongoing, the target is that the discussion will be completed in October 2020 so that it can be discussed together with the House of Representatives (DPR). Regarding the amount of the Papua special autonomy fund allocation which is equivalent to 2% of the total national general allocation fund (DAU). Benny explained that this has not been determined.
The mandate of the Special Autonomy Law Number 21 of 2001, the special autonomy fund is equal to 2% and is valid for 20 years. The Special Autonomy Fund was reported as a consequence of reporting on the special autonomy status. The focus of its use is to support the improvement of health, education and welfare in Papua and West Papua.
Special Autonomy for Papua is proven to have made Papua and West Papua into progressive provinces, of course it would be unfortunate if the good intentions of the government were not continued just because of provocation from parties who wanted to break the unity in the Papua region.
) * The author is a Papuan student living in Jakarta