Irian Jaya to spend bonanza on education<\/p>\n
R.K. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura<\/p>\n
Irian Jaya Governor Jaap Salossa said here on Thursday that 30
\npercent of Rp 6 trillion (US$600 million) the province will get
\nfrom the financial sharing with the central government, based on
\nthe special autonomy for the province, would be spent on human
\nresources development.<\/p>\n
\"We will spend 30 percent of Rp 6 trillion (around Rp 1.8
\ntrillion) on human resources development, and 15 percent on
\npublic health. These figures are incredible,\" Salossa said in
\nJayapura on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"Next year's Rp 1.8 trillion for human resources development
\nis almost 10 times as much as the current budget for the same
\npurpose.\"<\/p>\n
In the current fiscal year of 2000-2001 the (central)
\ngovernment provided Irian Jaya with a general allocation fund,
\nplus education and health care fund amounting to Rp 3.5 trillion.<\/p>\n
The general allocation fund alone amounted Rp 331 billion plus
\nmostly for the salaries of around 9,000 civil servants in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
\"If you ask me if the administration is ready to manage that
\nmuch money, my answer is that we must be ready. Maybe there will
\nbe some small misappropriation, but it will be impossible for us
\nto hire people (from outside Irian Jaya) to manage the money,\"
\nJaap said in Jayapura.<\/p>\n
Jaap did not reveal how the administration would allocate Rp 6
\ntrillion, saying only that he was optimistic the administration
\nwould handle the money properly.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives (DPR) passed the special autonomy
\nbill on Papua (Irian Jaya) into law on Oct. 22 amid protests from
\ncertain groups in Irian Jaya and Jakarta.<\/p>\n
According to the law, the province will get 80 percent of
\nrevenues from forestry and fishery and 70 percent of revenue from
\noil, gas and mining.<\/p>\n
Oil, gas and mining revenues will be reviewed after 25 years,
\nand during that time, the government will give Irian Jaya people
\nincreased central government funding for education and health
\ncare.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, noted Jayapura-based lawyer Robert Korwa expressed
\nhis pessimism on Thursday, saying that the management of that
\nmuch money could be complicated.<\/p>\n
\"The province got Rp 400 billion in human resources
\ndevelopment crash program from then Vice President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri. No one knew where and what for the money had
\ngone,\" said Robert, a native of Wamena.<\/p>\n
\"The problem now is how to monitor the use of the money. A
\nmonitoring team involving local figures and academics must be set
\nup. Journalists must also monitor the spending of the money,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"That amount of money could trigger corruption or jealousy
\namong Irian people. This is very problematic.\"<\/p>\n
Jaap said that President Megawati would visit Irian Jaya on
\nDec. 22 to enact the law on special autonomy for Papua (Irian
\nJaya).<\/p>\n
\"The law will be the Papuans' Idul Fitri and Christmas gift,\"
\nhe said referring to Muslims' Idul Fitri celebration which will
\nfall on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17 and Christmas on Dec. 25.<\/p>\n
Jaap acknowledged that certain groups of Papuans were against
\nthe special autonomy law and wanted independence. \"They have
\ntheir political rights. But not all Papuans want independence.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/irian-jaya-to-spend-bonanza-on-education-1447893297",
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