THE APPROVAL OF THE OTSUS ACT VOLUME II DOESN'T SEE THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT'S ATTENTION TO THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE OF PAPUA

The Indonesian House of Representatives ratified the Draft Law on the Second Amendment to Law Number 21 of 2001 concerning Special Autonomy for the Papua Province (RUU Otsus Papua) in the 23rd Plenary Meeting of the Indonesian Parliament for the Period of Session V, Session Year 2020-2021.

The chairman of the Special Autonomy Special Committee for Papua, Komarudin Watubun, in his report said that there were 20 articles that underwent changes in this bill. A total of 20 articles consist of 3 articles proposed by the Government that contain material on the Papua Special Autonomy funds, as many as 15 articles outside the proposed substance, plus 2 articles on material substance outside the law.

In this amendment, the Papua Special Autonomy Bill accommodates the need for specific arrangements for Papuan Indigenous People (OAP) in the fields of politics, education, health, employment and the economy as well as providing support for the development of indigenous peoples.

In the political field, this can be seen in the expansion of the political role for Papuan Papuans in membership in the DPRK, a new nomenclature to replace the DPRD which was initiated in the Bill. Then in the field of education and health, the Papua Special Autonomy Bill regulates the obligations of the Government, Provincial Government and Regency/City Governments to allocate education and health budgets for OAP. In the field of employment and the economy, article 38 has emphasized that in carrying out economic activities in Papua, it is obligatory to prioritize OAP. Furthermore, in the field of empowerment, Article 36 paragraph (2) letter (d) stipulates that 10 percent of the revenue-sharing fund is allocated for expenditure on assistance for the empowerment of indigenous peoples.

In addition, this bill also stipulates that special autonomy funds have been agreed to increase from 2 percent of the National General Allocation Fund (DAU) to 2.25 percent. Through the change in the governance of the special autonomy fund, it is hoped that various development problems so far can be resolved. Then, this bill also stipulates the presence of a Special Agency for the Acceleration of Papuan Development (BK-P3), the expansion of the province in Papua, as well as the implementing regulations of this law which stipulate that the preparation of Government Regulations must be consulted with the DPR, DPD and local governments in Papua. Papua and West Papua.

Yusak Iryo, one of the community leaders at the Wosi Gaya Baru Complex, Manokwari, assessed that the ratification of the Special Autonomy Law Volume II was a new beginning for the Papuan people to enjoy better development than before, because the Special Autonomy Volume II had received various inputs and evaluations so that the shortcomings in the previous implementation of Otsus has been improved. "This is a good thing for the Papuan people and all of this cannot be separated from the attention of the Central government for the welfare of the Papuan people," explained Yusak.

Regarding the existence of groups that carry out provocations and actions to reject Otsus, Yusak assesses that these groups are carrying out futile activities and only for personal interests so that not many Papuan people sympathize with their activities. In this modern era, the Papuan people have started to open up their way of thinking so that it is more difficult to influence them. "If there are people who are affected by the group, it is most likely because of a sense of disappointment or a big lure from the group," said Yusak.

Yusak hopes that in the implementation and management of Otsus Volume II, the government can be more transparent about the use of Otsus funds so that people know where the huge Otsus funds are flowing. Because in the previous implementation of Otsus there have been many findings of misappropriation of Otsus funds and abuse of authority so that many Papuans have not felt the benefits of the existence of Otsus. This should be a concern of the government because the implementation of Otsus Volume II should not cause greater disappointment among the Papuan people so that people do not trust the government.

As one of the community leaders, Yusak appealed to the people of Manokwari to also support the implementation of Otsus Volume II because with the existence of Otsus, the Papuan people can improve welfare such as ease of education and health services.

SOURCE: https://melanesianinfo.com/pengesahan-uu-otsus-jilid-ii-not-lepas-dari-perhatian-governmental-centre-terhadap-kesejahteraan- Masyarakat-papua/