2) Escalating intimidation, threats, ahead of high-profile treason verdict, Indonesian rights groups say
3) West Papua extends COVID-19 emergency status by another month
4) Experts see environmental, social fallout in Indonesia’s infrastructure push
5) Special autonomous status ushers in progress for Papua: official
6) Illegal mining potentially to become new coronavirus clusters in Papua
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1) Papuan Lives Matter: What now? An open letter
Meitilda Yaung
Darwin, Australia / Tue, June 16, 2020 / 10:31 am
Protest for prisoners: Students and activists from the Papuan Political Prisoners Liberation Committee rally in front of the Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta on Monday, demanding that seven Papuans being tried at the Balikpapan District Court in East Kalimantan be cleared of all charges. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
Protest for prisoners: Students and activists from the Papuan Political Prisoners Liberation Committee rally in front of the Supreme Court building in Central Jakarta on Monday, demanding that seven Papuans being tried at the Balikpapan District Court in East Kalimantan be cleared of all charges. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
The long history of systematic racism against African-Americans in the United States seems to have reached its breaking point over the last few weeks after people around world watched the horrific scene of George Floyd’s life being robbed from him before their eyes. The world has finally said, “Enough.”
The wave of the Black Lives Matter movement has started the conversation about how Indonesia treats its fellow black citizens, the Papuans. The country has already witnessed the anger and frustration unleashed following the now infamous racist incident in Surabaya in August 2019. The unnecessary attacks and racial slurs freely thrown at Papuan students in their dormitory was sickening. It was dehumanizing. Not one high-ranking official condemned the racist attack until protests erupted across Papua. The incident showcased one example of the many different levels and types of discrimination that Papuans have endured for decades. As a Papuan, I can say that we too have had enough. Papuan lives do matter and the question is, what now?
Where do we go from here, Indonesia?
Are Indonesians aware of what systematic discrimination looks like beyond racial slurs and anti-black stereotypes? Does this country understand the impacts of unresolved human rights abuses and the generational trauma it has caused on top of the ongoing discrimination against Papuans? When are we going to have the long-overdue dialogue to resolve ongoing conflict? Indonesia needs to pause to really listen to what Papuans have been saying and make the required changes.
Without real systematic changes, the wound of racism will continue to run deep for Papuans. Healing can only start with reconciliation, which is impossible without going back down the lane of history to tell the truth. The longer the government delays a dialogue and insists on using the same approach, the more Papuans will internalize these injustices, which will lead to growing resistance.
To the mainstream media industry in Indonesia, my message is:
You have a role to play, a powerful one. Can we count on news media to provide independent and balanced coverage on Papuan issues? For too long we have noticed an under-representation of eastern Indonesia. It
is a problem. It does not promote inclusivity, the ideology this country holds so dear. Now is the right time to reflect on the role that the media plays in creating narratives about Papuans and other Melanesians in the country. What about giving more platforms to authentic Papuan voices? We need to change narratives and beauty standards portrayed on Indonesian screens.
To my fellow Indonesians:
I give my sincere thanks to those of you who have taken the time to listen and learn more about racism against Papuans. Thanks for speaking up by using your platforms no matter how big or small they are. We see you. We see you posting on social media and receiving backlash or arguing with strangers over your “Papuan Lives Matter” post. You restore our hope in humanity.
Some of you might be confused and your comments come from a good place. We get it, it does not make sense to blame 269 million people in the country for what is happening to Papuans, especially for what happened in the past. It is not fair to bring all attention to Papua when there are millions of others in the country struggling to meet their needs. But no human deserves to be treated as less than others because of their skin color, and ignorance is part of the problem.
Papuans only make up about 1 percent of the country’s total population and we often feel unheard and invisible. Many in my generation were told that the solution was to be as well-educated as possible. So we left Papua – and even Indonesia – with aspirations to be intellectuals who could express themselves well and think critically to solve problems – to be enough. But we can’t even talk about the things that truly matter to us.
We are scared for our lives every time we dare to speak out against the injustice that our people experience. Why can’t we speak our truth without being labelled provocateurs or separatists? It hurts to endure the pain while many watch in silence. We all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, but this is not a reality for so many Papuans.
What we are asking from you is to be open minded and to listen. Never believe the lie that this is a fight between your race and ours. It is a fight against a system that enables racism and injustice to prosper. We have never said that your lives don’t matter. What we are saying is our lives matter just like yours.
Finally, our black is beautiful, and we will always wear it with pride in honor of our ancestors. We are Papuan, the Melanesians of the South Pacific, with black skin with frizzy hair. Our ancestors have lived in and protected a great land of natural beauty and richness. We have lived on the island for tens of thousands of years, and we are not changing who we are to fit your standard. Never mistake our pride and love for our cultural identity as backwardness because we never shame you for being you. We are here to speak for ourselves, and we are here to stay.
***
Senior financial analyst
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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2) Escalating intimidation, threats, ahead of high-profile treason verdict, Indonesian rights groups say
JUNE 16, 2020 / 2:48 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Agustinus Beo Da Costa 4 MIN READ
·
· (Reuters) - Rights groups in Indonesia have complained of escalating intimidation and security threats in the run-up to the verdict in a high-profile treason trial against seven West Papuans that is expected on Wednesday.
Papuan demands for independence or greater autonomy is among the most sensitive topics in Indonesia, but campaigners said the latest intimidation reflects a worsening political atmosphere across the archipelago of 270 million people.
“We have recorded at least 20 incidents in which students, academics, journalists, and activists, have been intimidated for criticising the government and discussing politically sensitive issues, such as rights abuses in Papua,” said Usman Hamid, local executive director of Amnesty International.
The claims of escalating intimidation come as a court in Balikpapan on Indonesian Borneo is expected to rule on a case against seven West Papuans who face between five and 17 years in prison on charges of treason for their purported involvement in anti-racist protests in August last year.
The demonstrations erupted across several cities in Indonesia after a group of Papuan students at a university dormitory in Java were reportedly taunted with racist slurs such as “monkeys”, “pigs” and “dogs”.
In the provinces of Papua and West Papua some of the protests turned violent and deadly, with shops and government building set ablaze.
The defendants were arrested in Jayapura, Papua, last year but moved to a jail in Balikpapan for security reasons.
Protests across several Indonesian cities on Monday called for all charges to be dropped.
Activists have drawn parallels between the treason trial and the Black Lives Matter movement, which has sparked the hashtag #PapuanLivesMatter and led to a series of online forums about perceived racism in Indonesia.
“Racism had no place in Indonesia, a multi-ethnic country with a motto and tradition of unity in diversity,” Teuku Faizasyah, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s foreign ministry told Reuters.
“The incident of mistreatment of Indonesians of Papuan origin are isolated and do not in any way reflect the policies of the government.”
Yuliana Yabansabra, a lawyer defending the seven West Papuans says she was attacked last week by an unidentified motorcyclist, who allegedly punched her in the head while she was driving.
“They didn’t try and take my bag or my wallet, so it seemed their plan was to try and make me crash,” said Yabansabra, “It felt like an act of terror especially directed at me.”
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3) West Papua extends COVID-19 emergency status by another month 1
8 hours ago
Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - The West Papua provincial government extended its emergency status over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak by another month, as the region prepares to later enact a new normal policy.
This was one of the several points approved during a meeting of regional stakeholders, including the governor, police and military commanders, government institutions, as well as academics and community leaders.
During the extension, from June 14 to July 14, the provincial task force for COVID-19 handling will be optimizing some preparations on the new normal protocols, such as conducting research and mapping as well as establishing quarantine facilities along with other healthcare services.
Furthermore, the forum agreed upon stringent enforcement of the law against those defying rules pertaining to health protocols during the new normal era. They also concurred on combating any provocative information on the pandemic.
Major General Ali Hamdan Bogra, chief deputy of the task force, noted that West Papua will enter the new normal era through a phase of precondition, with massive dissemination of information regarding, what the government coined as, the adaptation of new living.
"In this phase, we have to set a target on when the adaptation of new living shall be enacted," Bogra remarked.
In the meantime, the task force will project area- and sector-wise priorities for the new normal based on epidemiological, economic, social, and security researches.
"The critical point pertaining to the new normal is that our community and every single party complies with the health and cleanliness protocols and remains productive and safe from COVID-19. Moreover, monitoring and evaluation are required," Bogra emphasized.
Related news: Nearly seven thousand workers in West Papua sent home: govt
Related news: Indonesian Police investigate 130,680 COVID-19 hoaxes: task force
Related news: Pasar Jaya seeks consistency from traders in obeying health protocols
This was one of the several points approved during a meeting of regional stakeholders, including the governor, police and military commanders, government institutions, as well as academics and community leaders.
During the extension, from June 14 to July 14, the provincial task force for COVID-19 handling will be optimizing some preparations on the new normal protocols, such as conducting research and mapping as well as establishing quarantine facilities along with other healthcare services.
Furthermore, the forum agreed upon stringent enforcement of the law against those defying rules pertaining to health protocols during the new normal era. They also concurred on combating any provocative information on the pandemic.
Major General Ali Hamdan Bogra, chief deputy of the task force, noted that West Papua will enter the new normal era through a phase of precondition, with massive dissemination of information regarding, what the government coined as, the adaptation of new living.
"In this phase, we have to set a target on when the adaptation of new living shall be enacted," Bogra remarked.
In the meantime, the task force will project area- and sector-wise priorities for the new normal based on epidemiological, economic, social, and security researches.
"The critical point pertaining to the new normal is that our community and every single party complies with the health and cleanliness protocols and remains productive and safe from COVID-19. Moreover, monitoring and evaluation are required," Bogra emphasized.
Related news: Nearly seven thousand workers in West Papua sent home: govt
Related news: Indonesian Police investigate 130,680 COVID-19 hoaxes: task force
Related news: Pasar Jaya seeks consistency from traders in obeying health protocols
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4) Experts see environmental, social fallout in Indonesia’s infrastructure push
- The Indonesian government has announced a list of 89 priority projects, tagged at $100 billion, to jump-start the economy out of the current COVD-19-induced slump.
- To speed up the projects, the government has issued a new regulation on eminent domain that will make it easier to take over community lands, including those of indigenous groups, and degazette forests to allow them to be cleared, experts warn.
- The new regulation is the latest in a slate of deregulatory policies that conservationists, environmental activists and indigenous rights defenders say will harm the country’s biodiversity, its climate commitments, and its most vulnerable communities.
- Among the projects are nickel smelters that are applying to dump their toxic waste into the sea; a high-speed railway line that’s part of the China-backed Belt and Road Initiative; and a rice estate spanning 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) on carbon-dense peatlands.
JAKARTA — As Indonesia struggles to contain one of the deadliest coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, the country’s president has quietly issued a new regulation on eminent domain.
Signed in May, the regulation expands the types of land that can be unilaterally acquired by the state for purposes deemed to be in the public interest. Limited under a 2016 regulation to land held by state-owned companies, areas that may be subject to eminent domain under the new presidential regulation now include forests, villages, and land bequeathed for religious and charitable use.
The regulation is just one in a series of steps the government is taking to ramp up dozens of major infrastructure projects billed as key to jump-starting the economy out of the current pandemic-induced slowdown. But for conservationists, environmental activists and indigenous rights defenders, this push comes at the expense of the country’s biodiversity, its climate commitments, and its most vulnerable communities.
On the government’s docket are 89 projects, most of them newly proposed and the rest expansions of existing projects. They include roads and railways, ports and airports, dams and power plants, industrial estates and plantations. The common hurdle, says President Joko Widodo, is land acquisition.
In a May 29 conference call to announce the slate of projects, tagged at a combined $100 billion, Widodo called them a national priority and said they “have to continue.”
Airlangga Hartarto, the coordinating minister for the economy, said it was in light of this urgency that the eminent domain regulation was issued: “To speed up projects, because usually the roadblock, based on experience, is land procurement.”
But the real impact will be to make it easier for the state to take over community lands, including those of indigenous groups, and degazette forests to allow them to be cleared, according to Siti Rakhma Mary Herwati of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI).
“This article makes it easier to shift villages’ assets and indigenous peoples’ customary lands for strategic projects or infrastructure projects,” she said. “It also speeds up the changing of the function of forest areas for those projects.”
The regulation is bolstered by another from 2017 that allows projects of national priority to override local governments’ zoning plans. In practice, that means that projects can proceed in areas that would otherwise be off-limits, including forests and conservation areas.
Reynaldo Sembiring, executive director of the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) said zoning plans should only be revised if there’s a change in the landscape, adding that the plans should conform to the environment, not the other way around.
“That theory is being thrown out of the window, because it all now depends on the national strategic projects,” Reynaldo said.
“Regulations for the sake of national strategic projects have been revised since a few years ago,” he added.
Chinese-backed projects
Among the 89 priority projects is a Chinese-backed high-speed railway line that will connect Jakarta to the West Java capital Bandung, part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Although well behind schedule because of delays in acquiring land, the project is being considered for expansion all the way to the East Java capital, Surabaya.
Also in the works: nickel smelters in Weda Bay, North Maluku province; in Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi province; and in Indonesia’s largest nickel industrial park, in Morowali, Central Sulawesi province. The latter two are backed by Chinese companies and funding, which should raise red flags about compliance with environmental and social safeguards, says Maryati Abdullah, the national coordinator of Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, which advocates for greater transparency in the extractives industries.
“Many of the [new] national strategic projects are old commitments linked to projects supported by Chinese investors,” she said. “And we know that in terms of safeguards, there’s a lot to be questioned. So we need to be careful.”
There are already concerns over the environmental impact of the planned nickel smelters in Konawe and Morowali, especially over how they will dispose of their waste, known as tailings. The companies behind the projects are seeking government permission to dump billions of tons of potentially toxic tailings into the sea.
One of them is PT Hua Pioneer Indonesia (HPI), which is set to manage the waste for four factories now under construction in Indonesia’s largest nickel industrial park, in Morowali. HPI wants to dump 25 million tons per year, in a process known as deep-sea tailings disposal (DSTD). That would make it one of the biggest DSTD projects in the world.
Deforestation in Borneo
Other projects on the priority list threaten to speed up deforestation, particularly in Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. One of the high-profile ones is a plan to establish 900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres) of rice fields in the Kalimantan peatlands — a move that experts say risks repeating a failed project from a quarter of a century ago.
There’s also a spiderweb of road projects planned across Kalimantan, which a studypublished last year by Indonesian and Australian researchers says will lead to massive deforestation and fragmentation of wildlife habitats. The wildlife in the region, including critically endangered orangutans, would be able to access just 55% of the remaining forests if the road projects are completed as planned, from 89% today, the researchers write.
“Our research on the impacts of infrastructure were really alarming in Kalimantan’s road development,” Jatna Supriatna, a conservation biologist at the University of Indonesia and co-author of the study, said in a recent online discussion. “It will [clear] more forests. Even protected areas will be chopped down.”
He also warned of environmental disaster if the government pushes ahead with the rice estate plan on peatlands as a part of the national strategic projects. “I think we really need to give [thought to] alternative solutions,” he said. “We have to calculate the impact.”
Jatna also said he’s also worried that because of the mobility restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, local communities are being shut out of the discussion on which development projects should be prioritized and how to carry them out while minimizing their social and environmental impact.
“Inclusiveness is very important,” he said. “Because there’s a pandemic, people try to get things [done] using digital technology like us, and forget that communities have to be brought to the table [to achieve] understanding.”
If all meetings and discussions related to the national strategic projects are carried out online, it risks leaving some of the most marginalized and most affected members of the public without any involvement and information. This, in turn, could lead to conflicts, Jatna said.
“At the end of the day, there’s going to be conflicts and it’s going to take too long to solve these things,” he said.
Deregulation bid
The government is banking on these projects to be eased through by a deregulation bill that’s currently in parliament, and which it expects will pass in July.
The bill contains more than 1,000 proposed amendments to at least 79 existing laws that, among other points, prescribe lighter penalties for environmental violations; scrap a requirement for environmental impact assessments; vastly deregulate the mining industry; and make it easier to rezone coastal areas for development.
Under the deregulation bill, the government will no longer have to conduct strategic studies, draft land conversion plans, or provide replacement agricultural land if it wants to take over lands already zoned for sustainable agriculture. Recommendations from the central government will also no longer be needed to revise local zoning plans to accommodate national strategic projects. The government will be able to review zoning plans more than once in five years if there’s a strategic national project in the area.
“In other words, zoning plans will serve merely as administrative documents,” Reynaldo of ICEL said. “If the zoning plan doesn’t match the national strategic project, then it can be revised. But if we look at the environmental protection law, a zoning plan serves as an instrument to prevent [environmental destruction].”
The bill also calls for the creation of a new government institution, the Land Management Agency, to acquire, manage and distribute land not claimed by citizens and that, by default, falls under state control. The bill says the agency will function as a “land bank” and must guarantee the availability of land for both social and development interests.
The vague wording means the agency could effectively become a front for hoarding land and selling it to the highest bidders, critics say.
“If the land bank is established, it will widen the gap [in land ownership between companies and local communities] and agrarian conflicts as well as facilitate land-grabbing for the sake of infrastructure development,” said Dewi Kartika, secretary-general of the Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA).
San Afri Awang, a forestry lecturer at Gadjah Mada University and senior adviser to the environment minister, agreed that the planned land bank would exacerbate the land ownership imbalance, saying it would have a pro-business tendency.
He said the government was already “not very transparent” about plantation information — most land conflicts in Indonesia center on overlapping land claims between concession holders and communities — and the land bank would strengthen the position of plantation owners.
‘No scientific justification’
Timer Manurung, the executive director of the environmental NGO Auriga Nusantara, said there appeared to be no scientific justification for pushing ahead with the national strategic projects.
“We didn’t find a single scientific study behind the national strategic projects,” he said. “And who will actually benefit? With our [economic] situation, we have little capital. So who’s going to fund them? They must be foreign [investors]. And what’s the filter? There’s none.”
Timer said the projects must be based on sound science rather than simply economic incentives, to avoid future health and environmental crises.
“The pandemic clearly shows us that if you destroy the environment, then you’ll be more vulnerable,” he said. “This habit of ignoring science is fatal for the president and the government.”
Hariadi Kartodihardjo, a forestry researcher at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said a thorough study was crucial to determine what a region and its communities urgently needed the most. In many cases, that could be formal recognition of their land rights, and not infrastructure, he said, adding that development projects should not be seen as a one-size-fits-all answer.
“So the central and local governments have to immediately map out the problems [in their respective regions] and identify the gaps,” Hariadi said. “Then they might find that it’s not fair [to build infrastructure first in an area]. Instead, an agrarian reform or a social forestry program is needed first” to recognize or grant the land rights of local communities.
If the government ignores that process, infrastructure development might only benefit the wealthy, further widening the inequality gap, he added.
“Imagine if we slap a national priority project right in Papua [without a proper study],” Hariadi said, referring to Indonesia’s easternmost and least-developed region. “Just imagine the impact.”
A new study by the NGO Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) says infrastructure development in West Papua province’s Tambrauw district has primarily benefited large companies over local and indigenous communities. According to the study, road construction in the district, both ongoing and planned, connects companies’ concessions, including nine mining sites, four logging estates and two plantations. These roads will deforest at least 7,953 hectares (19,652 acres) of natural forest in the district, the study shows.
“The roads in the northern coastal area of Tambrauw will give easier access to selective logging companies that have obtained permits since 2006 to transport logged timber,” the report says. “As for the road project in central Tambrauw, it will pass plantation and mining concessions. The same goes for the airport and seaport — they’re all located within a radius of less than 5 kilometers [3 miles] from concessions.”
Observers have called on the government to involve the public in determining development projects and making sure they truly benefit local and indigenous communities. But the deregulation bill threatens to limit public participation in assessing the impact of a project. The current law guarantees public participation in environmental impact assessments, locally known as Amdal. The deregulation bill proposes limiting those who have a say to only those who will be directly impacted.
Firman Soebagyo, a lawmaker in parliament’s legislative committee, said that while public involvement is important, criticism from those who aren’t directly affected, such as NGOs, should be limited if they aren’t in line with national interests.
“There are groups of people who prioritize the interests of foreign NGOs,” he said. “This is dangerous. There are some NGOs that criticize [government programs] but they don’t give solutions. We prioritize the state interest, but we can’t do that for others’ interests. This is a state [that] can’t be dictated to by NGOs. There has to be sanction for public participation” that’s not in line with state interests.
Hariadi of IPB called Firman’s argument baseless.
“His statement is one-sided as well,” he said. “Aren’t investors being driven by foreign interests? As if investments are surely for the greater good.”
Banner image: Marwah, a resident of Roko-Roko village in Wawonii island, stands in the same spot where she confronted excavators of mining firm PT Gema Kreasi Perdana (GKP), an arm of the Harita Group, a major player in the country’s fast-growing nickel sector.Image by Ian Morse for Mongabay.
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5) Special autonomous status ushers in progress for Papua: official 1
15th June 2020
Sorong, W Papua (ANTARA) - Michael Manufandu, a senior official of Papua, opined that the special autonomy status granted to Papua and West Papua has heralded significant progress for the development of infrastructure and human resources in Indonesia's easternmost island.
The special autonomy policy has been instrumental in bringing about major progress in the development of education and health infrastructure in Papua, Manufandu stated during a webinar themed “Predicting the future of Papua” on Sunday (June 14).
The central government has given permission to the Papua provincial governments to manage their own budget spending and administrations, he remarked.
"In accordance with Law Number 21 of 2001 on Special Autonomy of Schools, Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) and hospitals in Papua, the indigenous Papuans are given the opportunity to go abroad and become officials in all government institutions," he stated.
Hence, Manufandum believes it is unfounded to claim that Papua did not progress under the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Related news: MPR speaker backs extension of autonomy funds for Papua, West Papua
Meanwhile, Wawan Hari Purwanto, deputy of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) in charge of information and communication, noted that the special autonomy status granted to Papua has contributed huge progress for its residents.
Development in Papua is so far still "on the right track" by boosting development in the economic, education, infrastructure, and other sectors, so Papua and West Papua will soon become regions that record equitable development at par with other provinces in Indonesia.
"The government always encourages the accelerated implementation of development in Papua. We often visit Bappenas (the National Development Planning Agency) to prioritize development programs in Papua. Now, the results have begun apparent," he stated.
Chusnul Mariyah, an academician of the University of Indonesia (UI), also echoed a similar view, saying that Papua has been progressing well after the Special Autonomy policy was applied.
"I have visited several regions in Papua, such as Sorong and Jayapura, to fulfill my duties. Development in Papua is vastly progressing," she pointed out.
However, Mariyah conceded to the fact that shortcomings still existed for which a reevaluation is necessary to ensure smooth running.
The government must stop employing the power approach to solve Papua's political problems. The values, needs, and interests must be prioritized, so that the country is truly present for the people of Papua, she affirmed.
Related news: Jokowi confirms total evaluation of Papua's special autonomy status
Related news: Jokowi vows to extend Aceh Special Autonomy fund
The special autonomy policy has been instrumental in bringing about major progress in the development of education and health infrastructure in Papua, Manufandu stated during a webinar themed “Predicting the future of Papua” on Sunday (June 14).
The central government has given permission to the Papua provincial governments to manage their own budget spending and administrations, he remarked.
"In accordance with Law Number 21 of 2001 on Special Autonomy of Schools, Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) and hospitals in Papua, the indigenous Papuans are given the opportunity to go abroad and become officials in all government institutions," he stated.
Hence, Manufandum believes it is unfounded to claim that Papua did not progress under the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Related news: MPR speaker backs extension of autonomy funds for Papua, West Papua
Meanwhile, Wawan Hari Purwanto, deputy of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) in charge of information and communication, noted that the special autonomy status granted to Papua has contributed huge progress for its residents.
Development in Papua is so far still "on the right track" by boosting development in the economic, education, infrastructure, and other sectors, so Papua and West Papua will soon become regions that record equitable development at par with other provinces in Indonesia.
"The government always encourages the accelerated implementation of development in Papua. We often visit Bappenas (the National Development Planning Agency) to prioritize development programs in Papua. Now, the results have begun apparent," he stated.
Chusnul Mariyah, an academician of the University of Indonesia (UI), also echoed a similar view, saying that Papua has been progressing well after the Special Autonomy policy was applied.
"I have visited several regions in Papua, such as Sorong and Jayapura, to fulfill my duties. Development in Papua is vastly progressing," she pointed out.
However, Mariyah conceded to the fact that shortcomings still existed for which a reevaluation is necessary to ensure smooth running.
The government must stop employing the power approach to solve Papua's political problems. The values, needs, and interests must be prioritized, so that the country is truly present for the people of Papua, she affirmed.
Related news: Jokowi confirms total evaluation of Papua's special autonomy status
Related news: Jokowi vows to extend Aceh Special Autonomy fund
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