By: Timothy Gobay ) *
The government has signaled the extension of the Papua Special Autonomy which will soon end. The plan received appreciation and support from the Papuan people because the program had provided many benefits.
Former Secretary General of the Cenderawasih Student Association, Jhon Rumbino, said that the Papua Special Autonomy which has been running for almost 20 years needs to be adjusted.
Jhon said that in the context of Otsus 20 years ago it was different from the current condition. For example, with the expansion effort in West Papua.
He also assessed that the revision of the Special Autonomy Law is necessary, because in the future there is a need for close synchronization between the Central Government and Regional Governments.
According to him, to answer the question whether so far the provision of special autonomy funds for Papua can be said to be effective or not, of course, an overall evaluation must be carried out. If a thorough and in-depth evaluation has never been carried out, it is difficult to judge whether the special autonomy fund can be said to be effective or not.
Sec fig Jhon firmly said that the Special Autonomy should have semamgat to open the space to the people of Papua in conveying their aspirations. Then, get the right they deserve as in other regions.
According to him, if the central government wants significant changes, of course it can be started from attention to good teaching staff.
Because after all, Otsus needs to pay better attention to education. School facilities also need more attention .
Jhon also believes that Otsus can still be continued as long as it is under tight control by prioritizing budget transparency and the implementation of every article in the law is carried out properly.
Dorince Mehue, a female leader who is also the Chairperson of the Papuan Evangelical Church Women Association (PW GKI), asked the central government to evaluate the use and management of the special autonomy fund.
Dorince said that Otsus is a blessing from God through the central government, but it is being abused by a number of people so that the impact does not reach the Papuan people.
The government must of course begin to evaluate this issue together with the Papuan and West Papua People’s Assembly. Dorince admitted that he would still support the policies of the central government in the future.
Support for the Papua Special Autonomy Volume II also comes from the Governor of West Papua Dominggus Mandacan, his party has asked for the support of all parties to support the Papua Special Autonomy, which in the near future will be discussed by the central government together with the Provincial Government of West Papua and Papua.
The governor also emphasized that there are two things that need to be done in terms of Special Autonomy Volume II apart from funding. First, giving greater authority to the Provincial Government in Tanah Papua in matters such as human resources and natural resources and secondly, involving other ministries of institutions (K / L).
Responding to a voice saying that the Papua Special Autonomy had failed, Dominggus said that as an actor in the government bureaucracy, he said that so far Otsus in Papua has been successful.
He said, quite a lot of P apua’s children went to school to go to higher education through special autonomy funds, both at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, in the health sector, the special autonomy fund is beneficial for improving services both in cities and in remote and remote areas.
Also through the special autonomy fund, local governments can build infrastructure such as bridges, roads, and other facilities and infrastructure, including empowerment programs for indigenous Papuans.
He also invited the public to continue to support the Special Autonomy Program volume 2 which will be continued in 2022. This is because West Papua still needs special autonomy policies to accelerate development in various sectors.
It should be noted that the special autonomy is intended so that the Papuan people have the authority to regulate their lives. After the implementation of the 20 laws, the Papua Special Autonomy has not had a full impact on society.
However, evaluations related to the use of Otsus funds must also be of concern, so that later the sustainability of Otsus can be maximized and can make Papuans more advanced and not marginalized.
Special Autonomy for Papua has proven to have made Papua and West Papua into progressive provinces, of course it would be unfortunate if the sustainability of the special autonomy was not continued because not a few Papuans could enjoy the benefits of special autonomy so that the Land of Papua became an area that could continue to develop.
) * The author is a Papuan student living in Gorontalo
