Community Supports Papua's Revised Special Autonomy

The government plans to extend Papua's Special Autonomy which will end in 2021. The Papuan people also support this policy because it has proven to have brought prosperity to the Papuan people, both in the economic and educational fields.

So far, the Papuan people have indeed been given authority in the form of special autonomy which has been in effect since 2001. This was based on the holding of a major meeting and the second Papua congress in 1999 to 2000 which demanded Papua to determine its own destiny.

The special autonomy (otsus) of Papua and West Papua will end in 2021. Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian has also said that the special autonomy will be extended.

The former National Police Chief stated that the special autonomy status for Papua is still very much needed to accelerate development on the land of Cenderawasih. He also claims that the government is concerned about the progress of development in Papua.

The total funds disbursed by the government for Papua and West Papua during 2002-2020 amounted to Rp 126.99 trillion. The special autonomy funds received by Papua amounted to Rp. 93.05 trillion and West Papua reaching Rp. 33.94 trillion.

Support for Papua's Otsus also comes from the religious figure of Pdt. Merry Lauren Wompere, who is a member of the GKI Solagratia congregation, Arso II, Keerom Regency. He admits that Otsus Papua is able to provide better development in Papua when compared to before the existence of Otsus.

He himself represents the GKI Solagratia Jaifuri congregation sincerely hopes that the Papuan Otsus will continue for the sake of development and progress in Papua, those who reject the Papuan Otsus do not represent the conscience of the Papuan people at all, they are the enemies of the Papuan people.

The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, has ordered his staff to evaluate the effectiveness of the distribution of special autonomy funds to the Provinces of Papua and West Papua. This is because the funds that have been disbursed by the government to the two regions are quite large.

The special autonomy that will be extended by the government is one form of the government's seriousness in developing the Republic of Indonesia starting from the periphery, so it is hoped that the impression of a centric will be lost to a centric Indonesia.