By: Abner Wanggai )*
The government plans to extend Papua’s Special Autonomy which will end in 2021. The Papuan people also support this policy because it has proven to have brought prosperity to the Papuan people, both in the economic and educational fields.
So far, the Papuan people have indeed been given authority in the form of special autonomy which has been in effect since 2001. This was based on the holding of a major meeting and the second Papua congress in 1999 to 2000 which demanded Papua to determine its own destiny. At that time Megawati as the President of the Republic of Indonesia had signed Law No. 21 of 2001 on Papua’s special autonomy.
The special autonomy (otsus) of Papua and West Papua will end in 2021. Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian has also said that the special autonomy will be extended.
The former National Police Chief stated that the special autonomy status for Papua is still very much needed to accelerate development on the land of Cenderawasih. He also claims that the government is concerned with the progress of development in Papua.
We also need to know that the total funds disbursed by the government for Papua and West Papua during 2002-2020 amounted to Rp. 126.99 trillion. The special autonomy funds received by Papua amounted to Rp. 93.05 trillion and West Papua reaching Rp. 33.94 trillion.
Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw considers that special autonomy needs to be continued because it has made a lot of progress. He is also ready to communicate with those who feel disappointed with the implementation of special autonomy so far.
He admitted that he had traveled around Indonesia, and no other area got the specialty like Papua. Of course it is very unfortunate if this good policy is rejected.
Paulus explained that in the past Papua only had 12 districts when it returned to the Republic of Indonesia in the mid-1960s. Since special autonomy came into effect, there are now 40 districts / cities in Papua and 12 districts / cities in West Papua. From this alone there have been extraordinary leaps.
Meanwhile, Papuans are also getting more educated. Not a few Papuan youth are studying in several countries in the world thanks to scholarships from the central government.
On a different occasion, member of the Keerom DPRD, Bonifasius Moenda said that Otsus was still running, but it was necessary to conduct a study and revision of the articles and verses contained in the Otusus Law, so that the funds disbursed could touch the interests of the Papuan people.
Bonifasius also said that the central government should make serious efforts by encouraging and accommodating the management of special autonomy so that there is no upheaval in the community.
He also wants socialization from the central government about special autonomy to the Papuan people and the use of special autonomy funds so far must be examined properly and professionally. Because, if this is allowed, the country will be threatened.
Ondofolo, who is a leader in Papua customs, also conveyed a similar thing. He said that the issue of special autonomy must be seen from the perspective of the welfare of the community and there is no need to do things that cause conflicts among Papuans.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief of the Central Mountains of Keerom Regency, Tiombri Wenda, hopes that the special autonomy policy will continue for development and progress in the land of Papua.
Support for Papua’s Otsus also comes from religious figures, Pdt Merry Lauren Wompere, who is a member of the GKI Solagratia congregation, Arso II, Keerom Regency. He admits that Otsus Papua is able to provide better development in Papua when compared to before the existence of Otsus.
He himself represents the GKI congregation Solagratia Jaifuri sincerely hopes that Otsus Papua will continue for the sake of development and progress in Papua, those who reject the Papuan Otsus do not represent the conscience of the Papuan people at all, they are the enemies of the Papuan people.
It is evident that in particular, the special autonomy fund is very helpful in the construction of the church, both physically and mentally, God’s people in Papua.
The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, has ordered his staff to evaluate the effectiveness of the distribution of special autonomy funds for Papua and West Papua Provinces. This is because the funds that have been disbursed by the government to the two regions are quite large.
The special autonomy that will be extended by the government is one form of the government’s seriousness in building the Republic of Indonesia starting from the periphery, so it is hoped that the impression of a centric will be lost to a centric Indonesia.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Jakarta