By: Alfred Jigibalom )*
The government continues to innovate to advance Papua, including the welfare approach. This paradigm shift is expected to make Papua safer, so that development can continue to be implemented.
To further secure Papua, a welfare approach is carried out. The government will be more serious in building the Cendrawasih Earth, either in infrastructure or otherwise. If the people are prosperous then there will be no turmoil that endangers security.
Papua, which used to be called Irian Jaya, historically joined the Republic of Indonesia only in 1962, even though we were independent in 1945. The existence of this gap, plus the centralization of power carried out by the New Order, made conditions on Earth of Cendrawasih experience a slight imbalance when compared to Java.
Therefore, the government is trying hard to prosper Papua so that there is equitable development from Sabang to Merauke. Papuans are Indonesian citizens, so they must have a sufficient standard of living and are no longer synonymous with the image of lack.
Vice President KH Ma’ruf Amin stated that there is currently a welfare approach for Papua, and one of its goals is to keep things safe there. The welfare approach will be carried out in several ways. These include the development of superior human resources, infrastructure development, economic transformation and development, environmental conservation, and governance.
Superior human resources can be obtained through education and one of the distributions of special autonomy funds (Otsus) is for scholarships for Papuan children. They can even continue their studies (if they excel), both on campuses in Indonesia and abroad. It is hoped that with higher education, the Papuan people will be smarter and can secure their area.
Infrastructure development is closely related to the transformation of economic development, because if the infrastructure is good and the roads are smooth, the economy will progress. The reason is because the transportation is smooth thanks to the good Trans Papua road. In addition, the existence of this road can cut shipping costs that were previously via air to via land so that the price of goods is expected to be cheaper.
Environmental preservation is also mandatory because development in Papua should not be arbitrary and destroy nature. When roads and bridges are built, it must be consulted with environmental experts so that no animals or plants are harmed.
The vice president continued, the five frameworks are expected to promote and prosper OAP (indigenous Papuans). So that there are real results that can be enjoyed by the natives of the Earth of Cendrawasih. This acceleration to prosperity is also supported by the quick win program held in 2021-2022, and evidenced by the development of the Papua Youth Creative hub.
Why the welfare approach to make Papua safe? The reason is because this approach is more humane, so it is hoped that conflicts will be minimized and make the situation more peaceful. If the situation is always safe, development in Papua will run smoothly, because there will be no interference from the Separatist and Terrorist Groups (KST).
So far, security issues have become a big problem in Papua because of interference from KST. They wanted to defect because they felt there was an imbalance between the situation on Earth of Cendrawasih and in Java or other islands. However, if Papua is now more prosperous, their eyes will be opened and they will eventually surrender, because they feel that their rebellion is futile.
KST should have realized that currently in Papua there has been a lot of progress, including the Trans Papua road and the Sentani international airport. They should not interfere with development, but instead are grateful that the government of President Jokowi is very concerned about the people of the Earth of Cendrawasih.
The welfare approach in Papua is expected to prosper the people because there are many areas that have been improved, starting from the economy, infrastructure, to human resources. If Papua is prosperous then it will be safe because KST is aware of the goodness of the Indonesian government, and they no longer want to defect.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Bali
