By : Rebecca Marian )*
Development in Papua seems to be able to reduce the amount of poverty in Cenderawasih. This shows that efforts to develop Indonesia in an Indonesia-centric manner have shown positive results for the progress of Papua.
President Joko Widodo may be a president who has an interest in development in Papua. In the past 10 years the development priorities for Papua carried out by President Jokowi have brought many changes and successes to this easternmost society in Indonesia.
Objectively the results of development in Papua are evidenced by the increase in the Human Development Index (IPM), a decrease in the poverty rate and an increase in life expectancy. This of course cannot be separated from the effects caused by development in Papua.
The Main Expert at the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Theofransus Litaay said that several Regencies/Cities had exceeded the National HDI which was at 72.29. Namely, Jayapura City 80.61, Mimika Regency 75.08, Biak Numfor Regency 72.85 and Sorong City 78.98. According to him, the HDI for Papua in 2010 reached 54.45 percent. This figure will increase to 61.39 in 2022. Similarly, West Papua’s HDI in 2010 reached 59.60 which then rose to 65.89 in 2022.
Meanwhile, the poverty rate has decreased significantly. Namely, from 28.17 percent in March 2010 in Papua to 26.56 percent in 2022. This achievement seems to be in line with West Papua Province which has experienced a decline from 25.82 percent in 2010 to 21.33 percent in 2022.
Theofransus also mentioned that life expectancy has increased. The details for Papua are from 64.31 in 2010 to 71.85 in 2022. The same thing happened in West Papua where life expectancy has increased from 64.59 in 2010 to 66.46 in 2022.
Theofransus said that President Jokowi had given directions to develop Papua with a new, more effective system and design in order to produce leaps of progress in welfare for the people of Papua and West Papua.
The development promoted by the government for the Papua region is a manifestation of the government’s concern for the realization of equitable development. With the reduced poverty rate in Papua, of course, this is proof that development in Papua is carried out in a measurable way.
It should also be noted, as an effort to accelerate development in the Land of Papua, President Jokowi has issued a Presidential Regulation concerning the Master Plan for the Acceleration of Development in Papua (RIPPP) for 2022-2041, on 17 April 2023, which includes three major development missions in Papua, namely Papua. Healthy, Smart Papua and Productive Papua. To carry out this mission, as chairman of the Steering Committee for the Acceleration of Special Autonomy for Papua (BP3OKP), the Vice President (Wapres), inaugurated six members of BP3OKP, at the Vice Presidential Palace, Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 6 Central Jakarta. On 29/05/2023.
Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin also gave instructions to the six BP3OKP members who came from representatives of each province in Papua to ensure that the development program could run well and be sustainable, and respond to the needs of the Papuan people.
In his remarks, Ma’ruf Amin asked his staff to work by prioritizing solidarity and unity in order to contribute to creating a safe and peaceful situation in Papua. He also invited BP3OKP members to collaborate overseas and unite steps in an effort to accelerate development on Cenderawasih Earth.
On the previous occasion, Basuki Hadimuljono as Menpupera said that his party had taken a number of breakthrough steps in infrastructure development in an integrated, precise, focused and synergistic manner with ministries/agencies and local governments. To realize reliable infrastructure, Kempupera is committed to implementing an equitable development program to improve people’s welfare. Followed by the implementation of cash work-intensive programs, and fulfillment of basic needs and services with infrastructure support.
Basuki said that increasing the welfare of the Papuan people was carried out by opening up the isolation of the region and increasing access and connectivity from land and multimodal, where the government had built the 3,534 km Trans Papua Road, 1,098 km Papua border road and 1.3 km Youtefa bridge.
It is this development that allows the Papuan people to have access to transportation which facilitates the mobility of the Papuan people so that the wheel of economic rotation can rotate more smoothly and at a lower cost because goods delivery can be done using land transportation.
During his reign, Jokowi has prioritized the development of superior infrastructure and Human Resources (HR) as part of a broad form of the answer to the solutions to problems in Papua. Indirectly, the current government wants to leave benefits for Papua by continuing to progress in developing Papua, both infrastructure development and human resource development.
Development in Papua has provided many positive changes in various sectors, for example in the field of human resource development where not a few Papuan men continue their studies up to the undergraduate level. Meanwhile, from an economic standpoint, many Papuans have been freed from poverty thanks to developments that make it easier for Papuans to do business.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Jakarta
