By: Fransiska Lavina Salaka)*
The Papuan Indigenous Peoples Institution (LMA) carried out the Declaration of Peaceful Papua in Commemoration of the Birthday of Pancasila on June 1, 2022 with the theme “Knitting Unity, Diminishing Differences, Building a Peaceful Papua, Pursuing Indigenous-Based Welfare” at the Wamena Education Field, Jayawijaya Regency, Papua Province and attended by Prof. K.H Maruf Amin, Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, virtually.
The Papua Peace Declaration was attended by traditional leaders, religious leaders, community leaders, intellectual leaders, and women’s leaders in Papua including Papuans. This declaration opens up great opportunities and opportunities for all levels of Papuan Indigenous People (OAP) to be actively involved in the Papuan development process in an effort to inflame peace and the spirit of unity in the Land of Papua which is in line with the Government’s commitments through various regulations and affirmative policies. One of them relates to the issuance of the Special Autonomy Law (Otsus) for the Papua Province.
Prof. K.H Maruf Amin, Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, expressed his gratitude to LMA Papua Province for initiating the event, including Papuans who consistently maintain the nation’s agreement that Papua is part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Prof. K.H Maruf Amin added that the Government is always open to receiving constructive input from all levels of Papuan society so that the accelerated welfare development program in Papua is right on target. Therefore, he asked for the support and cooperation of the Papuan LMA in order to continue to convince the Papuan people of the government’s commitment where in its implementation it is obligatory to involve all parties within the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
The government has instructed the TNI and Polri officers to use a humanist approach, promote dialogue, and without resorting to violence in realizing the success of development in Papua Province. The success of development aims to make services to the community in each region more accessible and boost the regional economy.
On that occasion, the Head of LMA Papua Province, Dr. Lenis Kogoya, S.Th, M.Hum, conveyed the results of the decisions of the LMA Deliberations throughout the Land of Papua as the aspirations of traditional leaders, intellectual leaders, and women’s leaders in Papua, namely encouraging the acceleration of welfare development in Papua and supporting the government in implementing the Special Autonomy Constitution No. .2 of 2021 regarding the plan to flee the New Autonomous Region (DOB) to a peaceful and prosperous Papua.
Meanwhile, Senior Papuan Leader Michael Manufandu, said that the division of Papua Province was important so that government control in the regions became easier where previously 29 districts and cities in Papua were only controlled by one governor. Therefore, the expansion is expected to minimize lagging regencies and cities and there is equality in terms of community welfare.
The Tabi Youth Leader, John Robert Manggo, appreciated the policy of the expansion of the Papua province as a need that must be immediately prioritized by the Central Government to improve the quality of the implementation of government duties, both in the context of service, empowerment and development towards the realization of an advanced, independent, prosperous society. , just and prosperous.
In Law Number 2 of 2021 concerning the Second Amendment to Law Number 21 of 2001 concerning Special Autonomy for the Papua Province in Article 76, it is very clear that the Government and the House of Representatives can divide provincial and district/city regions into autonomous regions to accelerate equity. development, improvement of public services, and community welfare, as well as elevating the dignity of the Indigenous Papuans by taking into account aspects of politics, administration, law, socio-cultural unity, readiness of human resources, basic infrastructure, economic capacity, future developments, and/or the aspirations of the Papuan people.
The expansion will guarantee and provide space for Papuan Indigenous People in political, governmental, economic, and socio-cultural activities. Therefore, the Declaration of Papua Peace carried out by LMA Papua is in line with government policy, namely in order to encourage the acceleration of development in the Land of Papua to pass on peace, prosperity, and harmony among the Papuan people to future generations for an advanced and prosperous Papua Province.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Bandung
