The expansion of Papua Province is an effort to accelerate the development and welfare of the Papuan people. With the passing of the New Autonomous Region (DOB) Law, Papua, namely Central Papua, South Papua and Mountain Papua, can answer the hopes of the Papuan people for the prosperity they should get.
Member of the DPR RI from the Papua Electoral District (Dapil) Mesakh Mirin said that the addition of a new new autonomous region in Papua would open up access to development which would have a welfare impact on the Papuan people. Because, so far there are only two provinces, Papua and West Papua, where the reach and access to transportation from district to province is very limited.
According to him, the existence of a new autonomous region in Papua will provide hope for equitable development in Papua. The Papua expansion policy is a mandate and implementation of Law (UU) Number 2 of 2021 concerning Special Autonomy (Otsus) for Papua, specifically Article 76.
Thus, the main foundation for this expansion must guarantee and provide space for indigenous Papuans. It is hoped that the regulations created can become a concrete legal umbrella, especially in the implementation of governance in the early stages and in the following periods in the three provinces.
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri) John Wempi Wetipo said that on behalf of the central government, his party had high hopes regarding the formation of the Papua Special Region. This hope is primarily so that society can be more prosperous and live a prosperous life. He is optimistic that in the future, as time goes by, the community will experience prosperity through the impact of the Papua Province new autonomous region.
According to Wempi, the existence of this new autonomous region is a golden opportunity for generations in Papua to be able to obtain better prosperity. Therefore, his party continues to invite parties in the Papua Mountains to support the existing development process.
It is hoped that the existence of a new province in Papua will encourage access to services to the community to become faster and more massive. With the expansion, there will be the appointment of new governors in each new province so that the people will be more protected.
The Indonesian Presidential Chief of Staff, Moeldoko, stated that the implementation of the New Autonomous Region or Special Region of Papua is part of the government’s efforts to improve the welfare of the Papuan people.
The formation of a new autonomous region in Papua is something that the people want. By dividing the Papua region into Central Papua, Mountain Papua and South Papua, public services will be closer to the people.
Not only through DOB, President Jokowi’s government has issued many policies to improve the welfare of the Papuan people. One of them is the Presidential Instruction regarding accelerating welfare development in Papua and West Papua.
Apart from that, Moeldoko also mentioned Law Number 2 of 2021 concerning Papua’s special autonomy. The law emphasizes increasing special autonomy funds, improving governance, and increasing the participation of indigenous peoples and women.
Efforts to accelerate Papua’s development were actually carried out long before the Papua Special Region. When President Megawati was in charge from 1999 to 2004, he established Law No. 21 of 2001 concerning Special Autonomy for Papua as the main foundation for Papua’s development which has the privilege of managing the government within the framework of the Republic of Indonesia.
At the end of 2022, President Joko Widodo issued Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 9 of 2020 concerning the Acceleration of Welfare Development in Papua Province and West Papua Province.
The main aim of issuing the Presidential Instruction is to accelerate welfare development in the Land of Papua, which covers seven priority areas, namely poverty, education, health, MSEs, employment, achievement of SDGs, and infrastructure.
Efforts to accelerate Papua’s development were then re-emphasized through the preparation of a Master Plan for the Acceleration of Papua’s Special Autonomy Development which became an important guideline for national development, as well as helping prepare the bureaucratic structure including the native Papuan state civil apparatus (ASN).
The government wants at least 80 percent of ASN in Papua to be native Papuans, so that improvements in community welfare can truly be realized. Equitable development must be carried out because it is not only Jayapura, Merauke or Wamena that are getting a touch of modernization. But it also reached Yahukimo and other areas in Papua. Development must be carried out to remote areas so that people feel the benefits.
Infrastructure created in the context of equitable development is not just roads and bridges. But also electricity, internet networks and various other facilities. Society will progress in various fields because it gets support from the government, and Papuans will no longer be identified with traditional life.
When there is a new autonomous region, it will be beneficial because if there are additional provinces, the number of governors will automatically increase. According to special autonomy, the governor and deputy governor must be native Papuans. So that they can develop their own region more optimally, because they understand their people from a sociological and cultural perspective.
The Government’s strong desire, which includes human resource development, infrastructure development, and support for fair development policies for the interests of the Papuan people, is the main capital for developing the prosperity of the Land of Papua.
All of these things were presented in the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet era. In this way, Papua can immediately become a region that is economically and humanly advanced, with a prosperous community life.