The Acting Governor of the Papua Province of Pemekaran is committed to fighting for regional independence through a number of strategies

Even though the inauguration of the acting governor has been carried out as a sign of the start of the wheels of government for the three provinces of the division of Papua, not all parties claim that they are in line with government policy. A number of parties, including from within the government sphere, still have doubts about the division. After previously there was input for postponing participation in the 2024 elections, now there is a pessimistic assessment of the independence of the newly created regions.

This assessment as well as criticism came from a senior researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Adriana Elisabeth, who has a pessimistic view of the expansion of the province in Papua. According to him, it is difficult to realize Papua's independence after the government inaugurated the three New Autonomous Regions (DOB). This is because during 20 years of Special Autonomy (Otsus) for Papua it has also not been optimal. The government should make a map of resources in the three provinces, including maps of economic resources, natural resources (SDA) and human resources (HR) for each projected.

Similar criticism also came from Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) Economist Nailul Huda who said that 4 years was not enough time for the 3 provinces to be independent. According to him, expansion should be interpreted as development that is more focused and reflects the characteristics and needs of the community. The potential that might be developed in the three provinces is in the tourism and nature economic sectors which can be a driving force for building self-sufficiency.

The emergence of 'responsible' criticism is a shared lesson as well as a warning that there are opposition parties who use it to carry out provocations. Sooner or later, the support of many parties is what the government and the community look forward to, especially in the newly created regions, so that the goal of independence is soon achieved.

Formulation of a road map to Realize Regional Development and Empowerment of OAP

There was criticism that one of the points alluded to the existence of a road map related to the newly created area, had actually been initiated and will be realized by the central government. Through the Deputy President (Wapres) of the Republic of Indonesia, Ma'ruf Amin, who was entrusted with serving as Chair of the Papua Special Autonomy Development Acceleration Agency when receiving a visit from three governor officials of the pemekaran province, gave a specific message. Through the Special Staff of the Vice President, Masduki Baidhowi conveyed five messages related to the road map.

First, in order to make the division of the province of Papua a game changer to realize a leap in regional development and empowerment of indigenous Papuans. The Vice President asked the Acting Governor to seek breakthroughs and innovations according to the regional context.

Second, to immediately formulate an integrated road map (integrated road map) and concrete actions (action plan) in the implementation of the 2022-2024 new autonomous regions by taking into account the time frame that is in line with the stages of the 2024 Election and 2024 Pilkada.

Third, asking the Acting Governor to consolidate the Regents to prepare a design for accelerating the development of the Province in line with the 2022-2041 Master Plan for the Acceleration of Development in Papua as mandated by Law no. 2/2021 concerning Special Autonomy for Papua Province, then formulate a realistic quick wins action plan for 2023-2024.

Fourth, the Papua Steering Committee (BPP) will provide assistance and facilitation with the Acting Governor in strengthening program and funding synchronization with ministries/agencies and other related parties. To make this happen, the Acting Governor must strengthen the collaboration of the parties to lay the initial foundation in development.

Then fifth, given the complex situation in Papua, the Acting. Governors are asked to strengthen social communication with all segments of society. A conducive situation is the key to success in managing and building a region as a big home for all.

Commitment of the Acting Governor to Realize the Independence of the Expansion Province

In line with the message from the Vice President, since the beginning the figures who were mandated by the President to serve as Acting Governors have been committed to advancing the newly created province into a prosperous and independent region in various fields.

One of the native Papuans who was later entrusted with serving as Acting Governor of South Papua was Apolo Safanpo. His background as an academic at Cenderawasih University, Jayapura, has a number of missions and hopes in the area he is assigned. In his statement, he is committed to catching up for the welfare of the community by focusing on developing human resources in accordance with President Joko Widodo's directions covering education, health, the economy, and so on.

On the other hand, the mountainous Papua region that was entrusted to the former Head of the Papua High Prosecutor's Office, Nikolaus Kondomo, received a message from the Attorney General's Office. Nikolaus is Adhyaksa's best son, so he is considered to be the right person to hold the position as Acting Governor of Highlands Papua, as well as being a native Papuan. Prior to being appointed as Acting Governor of Highlands Papua, Nikolaus had been appointed as Expert Staff for Inter-agency Relations and International Cooperation at the Attorney General's Office, with the rank of Echelon I. In a podcast interview, Nikolaus once said that the most important thing he wanted to build in Papua was a national vision. , legal awareness through legal counselling. Another important thing that he will carry out is counseling about extremism and radicalism so that the Papuan people have a broad view. For him the toughest challenge in leading his province is human resources (HR).

One interesting thing about the election of the acting governors of the new autonomous regions in Papua is the only female figure, namely Rebekah Haluk. The Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, explained that the reason for appointing women as leaders was due to the swift flow of gender equality in Indonesian society. The figure of Rebekah Haluk is considered capable of leading the Central Papua region. Her husband's background is also Nabire, and his track record has proven capable of resolving regional election conflicts while still serving as Acting Regent of Yalimo Regency. The Minister of Home Affairs hopes for Rebekah Haluk in the Central Papua region to be able to embrace all parties. The inauguration of Ribka Haluk is also a manifestation of the government's partisanship in mainstreaming gender equality in the world of leadership in Indonesia. The appointment also really understands and pays attention to the dynamics that occur in the community.

When confirmed, the Acting Governor of Central Papua, Ribka Haluk, said that the biggest challenge in leading the capital city of Nabire is a geographical problem so it is hoped that the collaboration between the government and the community can run well. She also alluded to the issue of women's emancipation and advised women, especially in Papua, to continue to increase capacity, so that later they could contribute ideas and ideas to build the nation and state.

Expansion of the Province as an Effort to Empower the Papuan People

Since the beginning of the expansion plan, the central government has been committed to involving indigenous Papuans (OAP) dominantly and optimally in efforts to develop their territory. After previously implementing an affirmation policy, then appointed the Acting Governor from the Papuan people. The next step is to involve OAP human resources in efforts to advance the region.

This was also confirmed by the Deputy Regent of Puncak Papua, Pelinus Balinal, who considered that the inauguration of the three new autonomous regions in Papua was an attempt by the central government to develop Papua by empowering the people in it. He considered that the inauguration of three new provinces in Papua would certainly provide flexibility to manage autonomously what are the regional resources. This allows optimization of existing resources. These conditions make it possible to achieve regional independence optimally.

SOURCE : https://malamnya.online/2022/11/16/12858/