96,000 Educated Papuan Youth Must Become Development Partners

 Presidential Special Staff Billy Mambrasar stated that currently there are around 96,000 young Papuans who are well educated and ready to participate in developing their territory. It is time for the government to ensure that the development approach in Papua is with the concept of partnering with young people.

According to Billy, since the beginning of the special autonomy (autonomy) Papua was implemented, everyone talked about Papuan human-based development. So that affirmative policies were issued by giving prestige to indigenous Papuans. Scholarships are disbursed with large funds to send tens of thousands of indigenous Papuan children to school.

"I myself have felt the benefits so that I can go to school. I am a recipient of the special autonomy scholarship. I am only one story out of thousands of other stories. Until now this program is still running," said Billy.

He conveyed this in the Indonesian Public Institute (IPI) Webinar activity with the theme "Understanding Papua and Collaborative and Holistic Resolution Efforts", in Jakarta, Thursday (6/5/2021)

Currently, the number is almost more than 96,000 people. The next step is for the government to make a transition in mindset. What started out with the old concept, Papua and West Papua only received from the center.

"The center is provided. Now, it has to be transformed. It's time to capitalize on what has been planted. 96,000 children who are ready to go to school must participate in building," he said.

"There must be an effective way so that these young people are heard and involved. Because this is the key to Papua's development."

This in itself is also President Joko Widodo's commitment, Billy said. With the president's permission, his party conducted a survey of the views of Papuan millennials who received education. The result then becomes 8 big concepts with the main point of paradigm change, from the beginning of the government to being a kind of giver, now sharing roles (share) with young people.

"For example, not only building hospitals and elementary schools, but the government must provide a platform for Papuan youth to participate in developing health applications, mobile clinics, and others there," said Billy.

"For schools, it is not only a burden for the Ministry of Education and Culture to build buildings, but involves these young Papuans who are proactively looking for ways to provide education and literacy learning centers for Papuans who are still in the interior. So these young people become partners in the development," he added.

Furthermore, the human resource development pattern must also be implemented structurally. So, not only sending learning, these young people must be incubated in order to have leadership and entrepreneurship.

"Those who can only go to high school, must be given the skills to make themselves and their families prosperous, as well as be able to develop the region. For example, Raja Ampat children, who cannot afford higher education, must have the skills to enter the real economy sector based on local, namely tourism," he explained. Billy.

In addition, young Papuans should be encouraged to be involved in national development. Currently, the Bring Change movement is being encouraged, where there is an arrangement for Papuan talent management. This is an integrated database containing young Papuan human resources. This data is then linked to the need for new workers in BUMN.

"Then there is the skill-based information development program, millennial farmers in Papua. And finally the online system policy, where young people can provide input on development programs. So that the process is bottom up for a productive two-way dialogue," said Billy.

In essence, his party encourages how the development of Papua is carried out based on the human resources of Papua itself.