Equitable development is a strategic step to advance the Bumi Cenderawasih region and development in Papua is a manifestation of Indonesia-centric development efforts, where Papuan land is a development priority that will be carried out by the government.
President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Joko Widodo said that infrastructure development in Papua had consumed quite a large budget. Therefore, the President invites the entire community to continue to oversee development in the Land of Papua.
The President said that currently the government has completed the construction of a number of infrastructure in the Land of Papua such as roads, bridges, airports, and state border crossing posts (PLBN). This infrastructure development is of course useful for the progress of Papua in order to bring people closer to public facilities.
President Jokowi has also given instructions to his staff to improve two infrastructures, namely building a logistics warehouse and extending the airstrip to facilitate food supplies to overcome cases of drought and hunger in Puncak Regency, Central Papua.
On the previous occasion, the President’s special staff who is also a native Papuan from the Saireri traditional region, Billy Mambrasar, gave a firm response to people who doubted the commitment of the government under President Jokowi’s control in efforts to build infrastructure in Papua.
Billy said that during his reign, Jokowi had prioritized the development of superior infrastructure and Human Resources (HR) as part of a large framework for solving problems in Papua. For physical infrastructure development, for example, the construction of the Trans Papua which is very progressive and transformative, making it easier to access transportation for people in Papua, as well as the completion of the Papua Bangkit stadium which has international standards.
Apart from infrastructure, Jokowi also implemented policies such as “One Price Fuel”, as a concrete manifestation of energy distribution in Indonesia. Because previously it was considered that there were differences in fuel prices between Papua and outside Papua, underdeveloped, frontier and outermost (3T) areas were the government’s focus in implementing the One Price Fuel program. And another infrastructure that President Jokowi is also building is the Palapa Ring fiber optic.
The existence of this infrastructure certainly facilitates the national logistics system. So that it can facilitate access between Papua and outside Papua. This ease of access will of course make it easier and reduce transportation costs so that the price of goods can be reduced.
Apart from that, the Government is also preparing Central Papua to be able to build food security through tuber commodities and appropriate technological interventions. Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy said, in accordance with President Joko Widodo’s direction, the government will transfer appropriate technology to further increase local added value, especially tubers.
Coordinating Minister Muhadjir explained that President Jokowi ordered appropriate technological intervention as a long-term solution so that the production of tubers in Central Papua as the community’s staple food could be stored or used as stock. Moreover, the famine that occurred in Central Papua has caused six people to die due to disrupted food security.
Extreme weather which results in drought and very cold temperatures in the region causes food crops to be damaged and crops fail. In order to find a solution to this problem, Coordinating Minister Muhadjir has asked the President’s Special Staff for Economic Affairs Arif Budimanta and the Chancellor of IPB to determine appropriate technology that can be applied for food security in Central Papua, as well as tuber varieties that can be planted and can withstand anomalous seasons.
Apart from technology transfer, the medium-term solution prepared by the government to overcome hunger is by building supporting infrastructure in the form of a food storage warehouse in Agandume District. Apart from that, the government will also extend the Agandume Airport runway so that large planes can land and facilitate the distribution of logistical aid.
The construction of the Logistics Warehouse is of course the government’s effort to anticipate the food crisis in the three districts of Puncak Regency due to extreme weather. Later, the logistics warehouse will be filled with tubers which are the staple food of the Papuan people.
The government is also committed to opening access to land transportation until it reaches the Papua border area. One of them is the construction of the Papua border road. This development is an effort to strengthen the territorial border between the Republic of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the border road network is infrastructure of strategic value for the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. The function of this development is for national defense and security and to support new economic growth centers in border areas.
It is very important to continue to pursue infrastructure development in Papua, because good infrastructure will also have an impact on the quality of life of people living in Papua.
