Papuan Students in Makassar Express Support for the Expansion of South Papua

The student movement to academics gave support to the plan for the expansion of South Papua Province from Papua Province along with two other provinces, namely Papua Mountains Province and Central Papua. This plan is based on Law (UU) No. 14 of 2022, which was signed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo on July 25, 2022.

In a release received by Tribun-Timur.com, Wednesday (10/8/2022), South Papua Student Coordinator Rafael said, a group of students from Asmat, Mappi, Marauke, Bofendigo expressed support for the policy plan. "The Southern Province in Papua needs to be accelerated for the development process with the aim of bringing public services closer and shortening the span of government control," he said on the sidelines of a Public Hearing Meeting (RDPU) with the Association of South Papuan Regents, Wednesday (10/08).

He also hopes that Commission 2 of the DPR RI can follow up on the aspirations of Papua. Moreover, in the Prolegnas Commission 2 of 2020 there is no Bill (RUU) for the expansion of the Papua Province, so his party requests that the division of the province be included in the Prolegnas so that it can be realized.

"If South Papua Province is established, requesting a revision of the Special Autonomy Law as a legal umbrella that states South Papua as a province and also a minority, and is given security protection for the indigenous Papuan economy," he said. Meanwhile, South Papua Student Representative Kinan said that the proposal for the formation of the South Papua Province had been around for 13 years. Papua is a large island inhabited by 4 million people and spread from one point to another in terms of demographics.

"Attention from the central government has been good but the reach is very challenging," he explained. He considered that the agreement from the community was that expansion was the solution, the existence of the Province of South Papua. Although currently preparing for expansion, complete the required documents. Not only that, in the near future the Papuan student movement will then discuss the government's fair attitude in the process of the expansion of South Papua and will hold a mission and joint movement in discussing the South Papua region for equality.

SOURCE: https://portalnawacita.com/mahasiswa-papua-di-makassar-nyatakan-sikap-supportan-pemekaran-papua-selatan/