Jayapura, Jubi – The central government must trust the regional government to manage the Papua Special Autonomy (Otsus) Fund to build human resources, the economy, and empower Papuan people, said head of the West Papua Regional Development Planning Agency Dance Sangkek.
According to Sangkek, the drafting process of Law No. 2/2021 on the Second Amendment to the Papua Special Autonomy Law (Revision of the Papua Special Autonomy Law) suggested there was distrust by the central government towards regional governments in Papua. For example, Sangkek said, the revised law stipulated that the financing scheme was determined unilaterally by the central government, while the local governments had no say in determining the allocation fund of Otsus.
“Where exactly does the deliberation for allocation of the Special Autonomy Fund happen? Is it in Jakarta, in the middle between Jakarta and Papua, or is it in the [Papua]province? Trust needs to be built,” he said during a webinar “Looking at Papua 20 Years Ahead” held by the National Development Planning Agency on Thursday, December 9, 2021.
Sangkek said that after the implementation of Law No. 2/2021, a number of programs that were previously financed by the Special Autonomy Fund managed by the Provincial Government of West Papua could not be continued.
“For example, the West Papua Provincial Government usually transfers funds directly to the districts, to the villages. Other than that, the [program] to empower Indigenous Papuan entrepreneurs, as well as the direct appointment of Papuans in the military and health service through Otsus, can no longer be done,” he said.
Sangkek said the provincial government must be given the authority at managing Otsus funds for better coordination on joint policies and programs in cities and regencies. That way, the implementation of special autonomy funds can be optimized down to the village level.
Meanwhile, the National Development Planning Agency’s deputy of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Control of Development, Taufik Hanafi, said that the preparation of the Master Plan for the Acceleration of Development for Papua 2022 – 2041 was an important moment for the state to encourage the development in Papua for a more advanced and prosperous Papua, on par with other regions in Indonesia.
“For this reason, it is necessary to establish a master plan that is right on target and synergized with development goals and ideals as stated in the 1945 Constitution, and in line with sustainable development goals, Indonesia’s 2045 vision, and other development planning documents,” he said. (*)
Reporter: Theo Kelen
Editor: Aryo Wisanggeni G
Jayapura, Jubi – The Ruang Damai Foundation and the Women’s Coalition to Save Papuan Humans held an online discussion titled “Women Can Do Anything” on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. This webinar is part of a series of activities for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence in Papua.
The women’s coalition coordinator, Ani Sipa, said in her speech that women and children were the biggest victims of political and military conflicts in Papua, as well as rampant investments.
“Women and children become vulnerable when they do not know the patterns of violence they experience. There is no room for women to express themselves and telling their very own situation, be it psychological or physical violence,” Sipa said.
“Therefore,” she continued, “We speak up together, we call on everyone to take part and participate in campaigning for women’s issues, because women are mothers who gave birth to a generation for the Land of Papua,” said Ani Sipa.
Sipa’s statement matched what Rev. Dora Balubun’s had said in the early days of her service in Papua. She said there was still a stigma against women in Papua who took the big responsibility at church services. Women were and still are underestimated but continue to prove the world wrong.
Balubun told her experience as a pastoress at Christian Protestant Church in the Land of Papua (GKI) before she chaired the GKI’s Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Ministry (JPIC). She said a senior pastor once told her, “Pastoress, you’re a woman. Can you talk about human rights? How can you work for human rights?”
Balubun was quite surprised by that statement. She immediately realized that she did not have a basic knowledge of human rights at that time.
“The statement from the senior pastor at that time became an encouragement to me. I, as a woman, was determined to prove myself and work in a large institution in Papua,” she added. Balubun made it and proved that a woman could do anything.
Meanwhile, Yansen Alberth, a scholar at the Cenderawasih University, added that such a discussion held by the women’s coalition was a political statement as well as a self-defense mechanism. The success stories of women in Papua in helming strategic positions, he said, had proved that Papuan women are great women who can become anything.
Alberth supported more women’s involvement in public space, as well as in the process of policymaking. He hoped that the women would continue to keep their flame and show the quality of women so that they could also prevent violence from occurring in the environment.
The Women’s Coalition to Save Papuan Humans hopes that the 16 Days for Activism campaign can generate public awareness of the vulnerability of Papuan women, especially in conflict areas, and calls everyone to play an active role in voicing human rights issues in Papua.
The coalition consists of various non-governmental organizations and women’s activists who share the same vision to voice women’s rights in Papua, such as the JPIC GKI, Elsham Papua, the Papua Legal Aid Institute, the SKPKC Fransiskan Papua, and others. [*]
Reporter: Yuliana Lantipo
Editor: Syam Terrajana
"As of Friday, the number of damaged houses remains unchanged," the agency's head, Herlin Sasabone, said.
BPBD will make a report on the damaged homes to the city government to allow affected residents to receive home repair assistance grants, she added.
The strong winds that hit Sorong city on Wednesday were not deemed a national-scale disaster so the handling of their impact will be funded by the city government's budget, Sasabone said.
The central government had assisted in the handling of last year's floods and landslide that killed five residents because it had been classified as a national-scale disaster, she added.
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Many parts of Indonesia are prone to natural disasters. This year, hydrological disasters have been reported in the provinces of Papua and West Papua as well as several provinces in the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.
On September 14, 2021, for instance, flash floods inundated some areas of Nabire and Yapen districts in Papua province. Heavy rainfall also caused a bridge in Nabire to collapse.
On Java Island, landslides were reported in Cihanjuang village in Cimanggung sub-district, Sumedang district, West Java province.
Meanwhile, on Sumatra Island, flash floods and a landslide damaged seven homes and destroyed a bridge in Wih Ni Durin village, Syiah Utama sub-district, Bener Meriah district, Aceh province, following incessant and heavy rains in the Gayo highland area.
On the island of Kalimantan, massive floods and landslides hit several parts of South Kalimantan following an incessant downpour on January 12, 2021.
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The floods affected the districts of Banjar, Tapin, Tabalong, Balangan, and Hulu Sungai Tengah, and the cities of Tanah Laut and Banjar Baru.
The massive floods, triggered by incessant and heavy rains in January this year, reportedly claimed 15 lives, swamped 24,379 houses, and displaced 39,549 people.
According to Tanah Laut district head Sukamta, the massive floods also triggered landslides that claimed the lives of five residents.
The landslides struck the Guntung Besar village and Gunung Keramaian area of Panggung Baru village in Pelaihari sub-district, Sukamta informed.
The floods also toppled two bridges connecting Angsau and Pabahanan sub-districts as well Kurau and Takisung sub-districts, he added.
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