Papua New Guinea, Observer: Pemekaran Brings Significant Changes to Development

Local Papuan Political Observer Frans Maniagasi does not deny the goal of forming a New Autonomous Region (DOB) or the expansion of Papua to accelerate development and expand the reach of government bureaucratic services.

However, he argues that the rationality value of the Papuan Orang Asli (OAP) to understand their own values must also be given space so that they can accelerate.

However, regional expansion does not deprive OAP of its values and cultural roots.

"Empirical experience shows that regional expansion has brought significant changes to physical progress," said Frans in a press release received by Kompas.com, Monday (23/5/2022).

The former member of the Assistance Team for the 2001 Special Autonomy Law for Papua explained that the division was not only focused on accelerating development and shortening the span of government control (bureaucracy), but also producing progressive progress on the one hand.

On the other hand, the expansion also functions so that there is synergy towards the existence and sustainability of the local value paradigm.

"The pemekaran does not view local values as anti-pemekaran and change or resistance to development," said Frans.

The expansion of Papua, continued Frans, was not actually a plan on paper, but had to be realized. Juridically, Article 76 paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 of Law (UU) No 2/2021 concerning Special Autonomy (Otsus) for Papua legitimizes division to be carried out.

"The mechanism can be carried out (by) bottom-up and top-down. This can be shown in paragraph (1) the division of provinces – provinces and districts/cities can be carried out with the approval of the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) and the Papuan People's Representative Council (DPRP), " said Frances.

The expansion is carried out after seriously considering socio-cultural unity, readiness of human resources, economic capacity, and future developments.

The coordinator of the Sabang–Merauke Discussion Forum (FORSAM) continued, in paragraph (2) it was written that the government and the People's Representative Council (DPR) could divide provincial and district/city regions into autonomous regions to accelerate equitable development, improve public services, and improve welfare. public.

The expansion can also elevate OAP's dignity by taking into account political, administrative, legal aspects, socio-cultural unity, readiness of human resources, basic infrastructure, economic capacity, future developments, and/or aspirations of the Papuan people.

"Meanwhile in Paragraph (3), the expansion of provincial and district or city areas, as referred to in paragraph (2), is not carried out through the preparatory regional stages as regulated in the Law on regional administration," he continued.

Frans emphasized that these verses reflected the state's expansion of provinces due to the first few arguments for ideological reasons as the excesses of the historical legacy of Papuan Integration (1963) following the Presidential Act (1969) and exacerbated by various human rights violations that were never completely resolved.

The most dominant perspective, said Frans, is developmentalism, which is the background for the changes to Article 76 paragraphs (1, 2, and 3). This also dominates the government's argument with the reason that development and government administration as well as services to the community are the logical basis for wanting to "accelerate" the expansion of the provinces in Papua.

"Therefore, paragraph (2) makes the benchmark for the expansion of the Papua region in the interest of the national strategy. (The aim is), to unravel various problems and conflicts in Papua regarding the acceleration of welfare development (Inpres No. 9/2020) and to be strengthened by amendments to Law 21/2020. 2001 became Law No. 2/2021 on Papua's Special Autonomy," said Frans.

SOURCE: https://biz.kompas.com/read/2022/05/23/114850128/dob-papua-pengamat-pemekaran-bawa-ubahan-significan-terhadap-pemkembang