By: Abner Wanggai ) *
The government under the direction of President Joko Widodo continues to launch various development programs in Papua. These various development programs are expected to improve the welfare of the community which has become a major concern of the Government.
As the easternmost region of Indonesia, many people think that development in Papua is lagging behind other regions. This is certainly a challenge for the government to always pay great attention to the land of Papua.
On the occasion of a meeting of the Steering Committee for the Integrated Team for the Acceleration of Welfare Development in West Papua, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin as chairman of the meeting said that the government paid great attention to welfare development in Papua with the enactment of Presidential Instruction (Inpres) 9 of 2020 concerning the acceleration of Welfare Development in Papua Province and West Papua Province.
Then, the Presidential Decree 20 of 2020 concerning the Integrated Coordination Team for Welfare Development in Papua and West Papua Provinces.
Ma’ruf Amin also realizes that there are still crucial issues and issues in Papua that must be resolved. One of them is related to the high level of poverty in Papua.
He said that the government needed to put this Presidential Instruction policy perspective into the new spirit and design for Papua, according to the President’s direction at the Papua Limited Meeting which was held on March 11, 2020.
During the meeting, Ma’ruf also conveyed President Jokowi’s directions, including the need for enthusiasm, paradigm and new ways of working to produce a leap of prosperity for the people of Papua and West Papua.
With regard to the implementation of the Presidential Instruction in 2020, Ma’ruf emphasized the cultural approach in the development framework.
Previously, the spokesman for Vice President Masduki Baidowi said that there were many breakthroughs specifically made by the government for the Papua team led by Ma’ruf Amin.
Masduki once said that the people of Papua and West Papua want to be prosperous through education and human resources (HR).
Thus, the education sector will become a leading sector to be implemented in accelerating Papua’s development.
Meanwhile, the problems in Papua are complex, one of which is the occurrence of conflict which has not gone unnoticed.
He said that in dealing with the conflict, the government would do it with a welfare approach.
To deal with these problems, the government did not remain silent. This is evidenced by the deployment of the TNI-Polri to maintain security and order. So that the people of Papua can experience a peaceful life.
President Joko Widodo has also pursued an economic approach that leads to the welfare of the Papuan people. For example, like one price for fuel, health, education and so on.
Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said the armed criminal group (KKB) which often caused trouble actually did not want to see the Papuan people prosper. Because if they are already prosperous, the influence of the KKB will disappear by itself.
For example, when road construction in Papua was underway, the workers were disturbed by the KKB until several people became victims. This is an indicator. In addition, there are still burning schools. This is because they do not want their people to side with the TNI-Polri.
The government’s attention to the land of Papua is also evidenced by the appreciation of the Papuan youth leader, Izak R Hikoyabi. He considered that there were several things in the change of Papuan society.
One of them is the breadth of budget management for the Papuan Government with the existence of a special autonomy fund (Otsus) for Papua from the start that was set until 2020 worth IDR 126.99 trillion. Although there is a need for a thorough evaluation of this large budget.
The existence of the special autonomy fund also had a significant positive impact. Both in the political, social, economic and other fields.
Izak also revealed that the government’s move was an effective strategy by taking a dialogue approach to unravel problems and formulate alternative solutions.
He also added that it is no less important to continue implementing previous policies, such as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), who prioritized the welfare approach compared to the security approach.
According to him, national integration and the Republic of Indonesia with a fixed price is a foundation that is built on welfare and justice above a legal system that respects the socio-cultural context.
This is certainly proof that the government remains committed to paying attention to the welfare of the Cenderawasih earth. With the special autonomy fund, young people in Papua can even continue their studies to tertiary institutions both at home and abroad.
) * The author is a citizen living in Yogyakarta
