Support the Government’s Efforts to Realize the National Agency for Land Affairs in Papua
By: Princess Tiara) *
Although President Jokowi’s meeting with 61 Papuan Leaders on 10 September 2019 at the State Palace was considered controversial, partly because these figures did not understand the fundamental problems of Papua (Event News, 2019), and lacked clear capacity and did not represent the people of Papua (Santoso & Yasir, 2019), but a number of demands from the Papuan leaders deserve serious attention from the Government. One of them is regarding the formation of the National Agency for Land Affairs in Papua. During the meeting, as quoted by a number of media, President Jokowi said he would review in advance the urgency of establishing the body.
The establishment of the Papua Land Affairs National Board, as proposed by Jayapura City DPRD Chair Abisai Rollo who was a representative of Papuan leaders at the meeting, was to bridge the land problems in Papua which often clashed with investment (Basith, 2019). This is because land in Papua is classified as customary land whose existence is guaranteed by the United Nations (UN) through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Meanwhile, the Government’s move to increase foreign investment in Indonesia is inevitable considering the impact of the US and Chinese trade wars on the Indonesian economy, as well as the Indonesian economy’s dependence on the consumption sector.
Thus, investment is one of the important points to improve the Indonesian economy, including the economy of Papua. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) submitted by BPS Head Suhariyanto, Papua’s economic growth in the second quarter of 2019 experienced a contraction of 13.12 percent where the figure was lower than the first quarter of 2018 which also contracted by 10.44 percent (Fauzia, 2019 ). This is partly due to the continued dependence of the Papuan economy on PT Freeport Indonesia (Economy, 2019). Therefore, opening investment in Papua is one of the effective solutions to increase economic growth in Papua because it will absorb labor and turn the economy of the surrounding community.
On the other hand it is likely to increase investment in Papua, allegedly it will face obstacles related to land issues in Papua, the majority of which are customary lands. Moreover, land for the people of Papua is the source of all livelihoods. Seizing land from the people of Papua will have a far more serious social impact because land is everything to the people of Papua.
However, this does not mean that investment cannot enter the land of Papua, because basically, the people of Papua do not refuse the entry of investments that are thought to have a positive impact on their lives. The thing that must be done by the Government is to embrace or involve indigenous Papuans from the beginning to the end of the investment phase. One of the mechanisms for engagement is to include the Papuan Entrepreneurs Customary Chamber (KAPP) which has been formed since 2006. KAPP is an organization also known as the Papua Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) consisting of indigenous Papuan entrepreneurs. The KAPP involvement can take various forms, one of which is a bridge between foreign investors who will invest their capital, and the indigenous Papuan people who own customary land. Thus the investment process in Papua does not harm both parties.
Basically, the mechanism for involving KAPP in investment in Papua, which is as a mediator between foreign investors and indigenous Papuans, cannot be carried out on its own but rather must be regulated in a specific body that focuses specifically on investment issues and deals with land issues in Papua. It is at this point that the existence of the National Land Affairs Agency for Papua is important, because it is an initial milestone to create a mechanism between the three main actors in the Papuan economy namely foreign investors, KAPP and the indigenous Papuan people themselves. In addition, the National Land Affairs Agency of Papua will also ensure that customary land ownership in Papua remains under the control of the indigenous Papuan people, as well as involving indigenous Papuans in every investment program in Papua, so that the trickle down effect of the entry of investments in Papua can be felt directly and positive impact on the welfare of the people of Papua.
) * The author is a FISIP UI Alumni
