By : Yowar Matulessy )*
Regional expansion or New Autonomous Regions (DOB) is a concrete manifestation of President Jokowi’s government reducing disparities in Papua. This was done as a form of structuring various fields such as administration and bureaucracy to make it easier for the state to serve the community.
The existence of 4 new autonomous regions is a request from the Papuan people which has been awaited for quite a long time and in 2022 their request was realized. The four new autonomous regions will also be more effective in improving the quality of government governance, increasing national and regional competitiveness, and maintaining locality (customs, culture).
Acting Director of Economic, Social and Cultural Resilience at the Directorate General of Political and Public Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Aang Witarsa Rofik, said that the Ministry of Home Affairs continues to oversee government administration in the New Autonomous Region (DOB) Papua. One of these efforts is carried out through assistance to the new provincial governments in Papua, namely South Papua, Central Papua, Mountain Papua and Southwest Papua.
This assistance refers to the 12 main agendas of the Roadmap for Implementation of the 4 Laws (UU) Establishing Provinces in the Papua Region. This step is a form of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ commitment to ensuring that the formation of 4 new autonomous regions has an impact on accelerating and equitable development in the Land of Papua. This assistance is carried out primarily to see the progress of implementing the 12 main agendas contained in the roadmap, as well as exploring what obstacles the regions face in implementing this agenda. Through this assistance, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the DOB provincial government are trying to formulate solutions to the problems being faced.
Acting (Pj), Governor of Mountainous Papua, Velix Fernando Wanggai, said that the Papua Special Region is supported by Presidential Regulation Number 24 of 2023 concerning the master plan for accelerating Papua’s development for the next 20 years. This regulation is a major design to accelerate development in the next two decades.
DOB is a concrete form of equal distribution and acceleration of development and services to the community. The current expansion of the province in Papua reflects the expansion of the Province in Papua which currently reflects the expansion of West Papua Province which he claims is capable of bringing progress to Papua. Meanwhile, the aim of this regional expansion is an effort to create equitable development and is expected to facilitate the reach of government services in the Papua region. Apart from that, regional expansion in Papua is also an aspiration that comes from the Papuan people themselves which has been expressed several years ago and comes from various community groups.
The realization of the New Autonomous Region in Papua can be the best effort to provide accelerated development and equality as a right that must and must be accepted by Papuans who are part of the Republic of Indonesia. With the existence of DOB, of course this will provide new opportunities for Regional Sons to further develop their potential. Moreover, this expansion contains the aim of dividing the tasks of Regional Government which is increasingly specific and reaches a greater focus on regions and regional communities in more detail.
Commission II of the DPR RI, Agustinus Wilujeng Pramestuti, said that regional expansion aims to bring services closer to the welfare of the people in Papua. Having a new autonomous region in Papua will help facilitate health services, education, and even administration with the government. With DOB there will be more positions for governors, regents/mayors, members of the DPR, DPD and also DPRD. This means that there will be far more local Papuan politicians accommodated in seats of power. Thus, the mission of Special Autonomy (Otsus) for the welfare of the people will be achieved slowly.
Progress after the construction of new autonomous regions is because people will be closer to public service centers, and of course this will be followed by the construction of other facilities such as health centers, terminals and various facilities that can be used by the community. The government’s main task is to serve the community, so that the development of new autonomous regions is an effort to speed up the service process in Papua.
Development in Papua must continue to be encouraged, because it can stimulate progress which also has an impact on improving the quality of everything. The acceleration of new autonomous development will of course provide new opportunities for local people to develop their potential. The development of new autonomous regions also aims to divide regional government tasks into increasingly specific areas and focus on areas far from the center of government.
With the inauguration of 4 new autonomous regions, there will be equal distribution of development. Development in Papua really needs to be increased so that it is evenly distributed. So, it’s not only big cities like Jayapura or Merauke that have good infrastructure. But also other areas such as Nabire, Yahukimo, Intan Jaya, Mimika, etc.
The strong desire of President Jokowi’s government, which includes human resource development, infrastructure development, and support for fair development policies for the interests of the community, is the main capital for developing the welfare of the Land of Papua. In this way, Papua can immediately become a region that is economically and humanly advanced, with a prosperous community life.
)* Papuan Students Live in Manado