Sosiri community leaders call the failure of Otsus a failure of the Papuan leaders

A community leader from Waibu District, Jayapura Regency, Lazarus Dike said, Volume one of Papua's Special Autonomy (Otsus), which many people complain about because they don't feel the positive impact, indicates the failure of leaders in Papua to implement the Special Autonomy policy.

The Head of the Dike Tribe in Sosiri Village believes that the Papuan leaders who manage the Special Autonomy funds lack empathy for the difficulties of the lives of low-income people. The irregularities in the Special Autonomy budget that occurred at various levels, starting from provincial and district officials, to Village fund managers, are a reflection of the lack of empathy for these regional officials.

"In our discussions with the community, we see it like that. In the past, we shouted for Otsus, so that indigenous Papuans would become leaders. But after the Papuan children themselves became leaders, there was a lot of abuse of authority. So what is happening is actually due to misappropriation, abuse (of the budget) by these leaders, indigenous Papuans themselves, at the governor, regent and other levels," said Lazarus in Jayapura, Sunday (4/12/2022).

Lazarus, who worked for an NGO called the Oikonomos Foundation Papua when he was young, said that if the managers of the Special Autonomy funds worked with dedication, then the huge amount of Special Autonomy funds flowing into the land of Papua for 20 years would have succeeded in raising the level of welfare of the Papuan people.

“If they work honestly, the funds are used properly, managed properly, it will definitely bring prosperity to the people of Papua. Because the money is huge, if we hear the value is in the trillions. Really, for the welfare of the few Papuans, it's hard to die for. Until now Papua is still below the poverty line, it shouldn't be like that if the money is used properly," said Lazarus.

Lazarus compared what the NGO where he worked, namely the Oikonomos Foundation Papua, had done in Wamena before there was Otsus. The local community (Wamena), said Lazarus, with interest-free revolving capital provided by the NGO and intensive assistance from NGO volunteers, they can develop the potential of the MSMEs they manage, such as opening kiosks, handicrafts, vegetable, fruit and livestock farming businesses. The results can be sold to Jayapura and Sentani using airplane transportation.

Because of that, Lazarus requested that in the era of Special Autonomy volume two, developing the potential of local communities must be a priority. So that if one day the Special Autonomy is stopped, the people of Papua can already be independent in various aspects.

"Sectors such as health, education and economic infrastructure mandated by the Special Autonomy law are only prerequisites for community self-reliance, especially for indigenous Papuans. Because Papua cannot continue to depend on the Special Autonomy funds," said Lazarus.

So Lazarus hopes that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will investigate all regional officials and parties who have misused the Special Autonomy funds to enrich themselves. The KPK's success in uncovering and punishing the perpetrators of corruption, including the Governor of Papua Lukas Enembe, continued Lazarus, would be a valuable moral education for all Papuans, and a capital for organizing Papua into the second special autonomy era.

"If you want to see that Papua is better in the future, these (corruptors) must be cleaned up from the roots, down to the smallest, check everything. That is our hope, so that in the future the attention given by the Central Government through special autonomy, can be enjoyed by all Papuan people, not just a few people who enjoy it," he added.

SOURCE : https://www.voicekarya.id/ Hukum/pr-2605943325/figur-society-sosir-sebut-kegagalan-otsus-ada-kegagalan-pemimpin-papua