Local leaders want to divide Papua to save it

SodssssssThree regions in Papua and one in West Papua are looking to become new provinces in the hope of reversing sluggish development under former and current administrations.

The petitioners have urged the Papuan Consultative Assembly (MRP) to issue a recommendation approving their formation.

“We have received four proposals to form new provinces in Papua and the MRP has formed a special committee to study the proposals and determine whether or not it is feasible for them to split,” MRP special autonomy committee member Samuel K. Waromi told reporters at his office on Tuesday.

The four proposed provinces are named South Papua, Central Papua, Teluk Cendrawasih (Papua) and North West Papua (West Papua), each comprising several regencies and municipalities.

Since the introduction of regional autonomy over a decade ago, Indonesia has seen the formation of 205 new autonomous regions — seven provinces, 164 regencies and 34 municipalities. In total, the country now has 529 autonomous regions: 33 provinces, 398 regencies and 98 municipalities.

The government declared a moratorium in 2009 against the formation of new regions in light of the fact that the new regions were largely under-performing in four areas: Good governance, public services, competitiveness and social welfare.

The declared moratorium, which is expected to end in December, was also triggered by an ugly conflict over a proposed province in North Sumatra that led to the death of then North Sumatra Legislative Council speaker Azis Angkat in 2008.

Despite the moratorium, proposals for additional regions have continued to be put forward and the House of Representatives agreed on bills for the creation of 19 new regions (one province and 18 regencies) in April.

Samuel said people’s desire to create new provinces was due to gaps in public service, so much so that despite special autonomy status being granted to Papua, people at the grassroots level had yet to benefit from the legislation.

He likened the condition to grass roots becoming so dry that smoke starts to rise from it.

“Will the grass roots be ignored and left to dry and burn? Grass roots need water to survive and nourishment to thrive,” he said.

Earlier, in calling for the establishment of Central Papua province, former Nabire regent AP Youw; former Yapen Waropen regent Philip Wona; former Jayapura naval base commander Dick Henk Webiser; and the former head of the Mimika Legislative Council, Andarias Anggaibak, met interim Papua Governor Syamsul Arief Rivai to request his consent to form Central Papua province.

“We have prepared a draft to form the province of Central Papua and we only have to meet two more conditions: Approval by the governor of Papua as the parent province and approval from the MRP as mandated in the 2001 Law on Special Autonomy,” said Youw.

“We have minerals but we remain poor. So, we want to form Central Papua so that public services will cater to everyone,” Andarias said.

Papua’s caretaker governor said people had the right to express their aspirations but that the ratification for the formation of new provinces were the central government’s authority.

“I can offer no promises in response to their wishes because all decisions belong to the central government,” Syamsul said.