Ma'ruf: The Government Continues to Accelerate Development in Papua in FY 2022

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin ensured that the government would continue the program to accelerate welfare development in Papua and West Papua. The flagship program, said Ma'ruf, is planned to be effective later in 2022.

"The government will continue to carry out superior programs to accelerate welfare development in Papua and West Papua in the 2022 Fiscal Year," said Ma'ruf during a series of visits to West Papua, Thursday (14/10).

In order to ensure that the program can run optimally, currently, funding needs have been included in the action plan and Quick Wins in the 2021 Fiscal Year State Budget, which have generally been allocated through ministry/institutional sectoral funding and transfer funding to regions and village funds (TKDD).

The allocation of funds is intended to support 7 focuses of welfare development in Papua and West Papua, which include poverty reduction, improving the quality of education, improving health services, developing basic infrastructure, strengthening small and medium enterprises, increasing employment, and achieving sustainable development goals. SDGs).

"In the 2022 FY State Budget, funding for the Presidential Instruction Action Plan 9/2020 has been budgeted to support 7 focuses of welfare development in Papua and West Papua. In addition, funding is also supported through the Papua Special Autonomy Fund for the 2022 Fiscal Year in the form of a Specific Grant of 1.25 percent of National DAU and Additional Infrastructure Fund (DTI)," he explained.

Ma'ruf said the move was because President Jokowi firmly stated that the program must be able to provide real change and the benefits could be felt, especially for Papuan Orang Asli (OAP).

"[This was done] with a strategy to accelerate development based on 5 policy frameworks, namely first, superior human resource development; second, economic transformation and development; third, basic infrastructure development; fourth, environmental quality preservation; and fifth, governance," said Ma'ruf.

Meanwhile, for extreme poverty reduction in West Papua, the government has prepared additional funds just like other regions. So that the problem of extreme poverty in five regions in each province can be handled before the end of 2021.

The five priority districts in West Papua consist of Teluk Wondama District 24.08% with an extreme poverty rate of 4% and an extreme poor population of 7,960 people; Teluk Bintuni Regency with an extreme poverty rate of 21.05% and an extreme poor population of 13,760; Tambraw Regency with an extreme poverty rate of 22.40% and an extreme poor population of 3,140 people.

Furthermore, Maybrat Regency with an extreme poverty rate of 22.89% and an extreme poor population of 9,520 people; and South Manokwari Regency with an extreme poverty rate of 20.97% and an extreme poor population of 5,150 people.

"Aid will be prepared in the form of additional special cash for extreme poor households in five priority districts in West Papua using the data that is now available. For this 2021 special program," said Ma'ruf.

"We will use the existing programs, namely the Sembako Program and BLT-Desa to provide additional support for the extreme poor in these 5 priority districts," he concluded.

On the same occasion, Ma'ruf explained the latest developments in the affirmation policy for the acceleration of Papua's development through the preparation of a Government Regulation derived from Law Number 2 of 2021 concerning the Second Amendment to Law Number 2 of 2001 concerning Special Autonomy for the Province of Papua. Where the preparation of this regulation is directed at accelerating welfare development, improving public services, protecting and affirming, and protecting the basic rights of OAP.

SOURCE: https://kumparan.com/kumparannews/maruf-government-terus-lanjutkan-percepatan-pemkembang-di-papua-pada-ta-2022-1wibouquYsi/full