By : Ones Yikwa )*
The government has budgeted enormous funds to accelerate the development of Papua. One of the massive development goals is for the welfare of the people on Cendrawasih Earth. The people of Papua must be prospered and there is an even distribution of progress in western and eastern Indonesia.
Currently Papua is no longer synonymous with underdeveloped areas, because a lot of infrastructure has been built by the government. With the Trans Papua road and Sentani International Airport, people’s mobility will be easier. As a result, the tourism sector is getting better, because tourists will easily move to other tourist locations easily.
The acceleration of Papua’s development, especially infrastructure, is intended for the welfare of the people. So far, Papua’s nature is very beautiful, but it hasn’t attracted as many tourists as Bali. Even though on Earth Cendrawasih has the potential to become a tourist destination.
In Papua, there is not only Raja Ampat, but also Youtefa Bridge, Lorentz National Park, Puncak Trikora, etc. These places are very exotic and able to drive away fatigue for those who visit them. Unfortunately, before there was no good road to pass.
To overcome this problem and improve the tourism sector, the central government is working with the Papua Regional Government to build infrastructure. Among them is the Trans Papua Road which stretches for more than 4,300 kilometers and makes mobility easier. The goal is that people and tourists can pass quickly, easily and safely.
Why is the mobility improved? Because if the infrastructure built is related to community travel, it will be very useful. When the roads are good and an international standard airport is established, it will increase tourist visits to Papua.
With the rise of tourist visits to Papua, it will have a positive impact on people’s welfare. They can sell food such as papeda or typical souvenirs from Earth of Cendrawasih such as noken bags. The more tourists visiting Papua, the better because the market is getting wider.
Meanwhile, a female Papuan leader, Irene Manibuy, stated that the central government provided funds of 78.7 trillion rupiah for the accelerated development program in Papua. The anhgagran is not only for people’s welfare, but also for improvement in the health and education sectors.
Irene added that one of the accelerated development programs in Papua is BAMA (Food Ingredients Bank). BAMA is an organization that gathers mamas (as mothers in Papua) from 6 provinces. BAMA’s task is to connect the mothers with mining companies and other large companies in Papua, so that they become permanent suppliers .
In that sense, the BAMA program is very good because mothers do not have to sell on the side of the road or travel long distances to trade at the market. However, their agricultural products and goods can be purchased directly by large companies in Papua. In this way, people’s welfare will improve.
Meanwhile, the acceleration of infrastructure development is also being carried out in Papua. President Jokowi stated that if the infrastructure in Papua is good, ports and roads are good, then the economy will grow faster. Logistics distribution for people and finished goods improved. The effect is, there will be no more poverty there, because everyone is already prosperous. Papua is no longer a neglected area, because it is always taken into account.
Poverty that has occurred in Papua is indeed a cause for concern, because there are 25% of residents belonging to the lower middle class. This is the concern of the President and he is trying to make the Papuan people prosperous. Therefore, infrastructure was built and the aim was that there would be no economic inequality between Papua and Java.
Development in the Papua region is indeed aimed at the welfare of the people. President Jokowi since his election in the first period, promised to advance Indonesia, especially in the Cendrawasih Land. This promise was kept, and there are currently other projects there, such as the Sentani International Airport and the full electrification of Papua and West Papua.
The welfare of the Papuan people will also increase thanks to the electrification project. If the entire area is electrified, then people can open shops late into the night and open other businesses that certainly need electricity. There are no more areas without electricity in Indonesia, it’s not like in the middle of nowhere anymore.
Developments in the Papua region such as building projects, bridges, airports also require a large number of employees to be completed quickly. This is a good opportunity for indigenous Papuan workers to work there. If the office building is ready, then they can also become employees, as long as they meet the age requirements and minimum education.
Education is also the government’s concern for the welfare of Papua. The children there are guaranteed to go to high school and get scholarships. Both from the government and mining companies. Because the development of human resources is also important. Do not let children drop out of school because of financial problems and the location of the school is far away.
If they have graduated from college, of course they can apply for jobs as office employees, not just unskilled laborers. Salaries are higher than usual and people’s lives automatically become more prosperous. Education is a long-term investment and programs to improve human resources can change the mindset of the people there about the importance of schools.
The acceleration of Papua’s development continues to be carried out, especially in the infrastructure sector. The government provides enormous funds for progress on Cendrawasih Earth. With the acceleration of development, the people of Papua will be more prosperous.
)* Papuan students live in Makassar