Special autonomy for Papua<\/p>\n
During the last hours before the House of Representatives went
\ninto recess, the law on special autonomy for the province of
\nPapua was endorsed. A cursory look reveals that this new law
\ncovers many aspects which will hopefully push the province of
\nPapua into modernity and neutralize any serious intentions on the
\npart of some Papuans to secede from the Republic of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The money aspect of this new law alone is simply staggering.
\nIf for the current budget year of 2001 this province of 2.1
\nmillion inhabitants was allocated the sum of Rp 3.5 trillion
\n(roughly US$350 million), a conservative calculation for 2002
\nwould raise this to Rp 7 trillion ($700 million), which means an
\nincrease of 100 percent.<\/p>\n
A good example of the grand-scale adjustments which this new
\nlaw makes for the province is the increase in the portion of
\nrevenue allocated to Papua from oil and gas royalties as
\nstipulated by Law No. 25\/1999. According to this law, Papua
\nreceives only 15 percent of the accrued oil royalties and 30
\npercent of the gas royalties.<\/p>\n
The new law stipulates an increase of 55 percent in oil
\nroyalties to arrive at a total of 70 percent, and a 40 percent
\nincrease in gas royalties to 70 percent. These new increases will
\nbe implemented over a period of 25 years in order to give the
\nprovince an opportunity to catch up with the more advanced
\nprovinces in the republic. After 25 years, these increases will
\nbe respectively reduced by 20 percent.<\/p>\n
These arrangements are far more generous than those applied to
\nthe special province of Aceh Nangroe Darussalam. If the huge
\npotentials of the offshore Tangguh gas field in the Bird's Head
\narea of Papua comes fully onstream and the marketing contracts
\nare in place, one does not need a superb analytical mind to
\nproject the huge windfall for Papua.<\/p>\n
Although this money aspect is not unimportant, the new law on
\nthe special autonomy status for Papua carries some sociopolitical
\narrangements that are no less significant and will satisfy the
\nlong-suppressed aspirations of the Papua people. For instance,
\nthere will be a specially installed Papua People's Council with
\nthe membership comprising indigenous Papuans. This council is
\ndesigned to protect the rights of the indigenous Papuans based on
\ntheir customary laws and rituals.<\/p>\n
The council has the prerogative to voice its opinion on
\npossible candidates for the governor, candidate members for the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly and an assortment of issues that
\naffect the representation and administration of Papua. On the
\nappointment of the police chief for the special province of
\nPapua, the new law stipulates that candidates' names should be
\nsubmitted to the governor for approval. It is also agreed that
\nthe flag of Papua is considered a cultural symbol and that it
\ndoes not express Papua's sovereignty as an independent state.
\nAlthough the law makes far-reaching concessions and adjustments,
\ncertain diehard separatists under the leadership of Theys Hiyo
\nEluay or those associated with the Free Papua Movement (OPM) will
\nnot be satisfied.<\/p>\n
The crux of the matter, however, is how the trillions of
\nrupiah will be spent and managed. We suggest that a highly placed
\nadvisory board be established, of course with generous
\nremunerations, to design a development plan for Papua. Certainly,
\nhuman resources development should have the highest priority.
\nPapua should have a first-class secondary education system. For
\nthat purpose quality teachers could be recruited from other parts
\nof Indonesia. Of course, Papua can afford to offer generous
\narrangements for recruited teachers in terms of salary, housing,
\netc. The important thing is a solid plan exists that is not too
\ncomplicated, and there is determination to prudently manage the
\nnewly acquired wealth.<\/p>\n
The adoption of the new law does not mean that all problems
\nrelated to Papua will cease to exist. Constant dialog and
\nconsultation among Papuans and between Papuans and the political
\nleaders in Jakarta will still be needed. At least, however, it
\ncan be said that the new law on special autonomy for the province
\nof Papua provides us with a window of opportunity to achieve
\nstability and prosperity in this easternmost Indonesian province.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/special-autonomy-for-papua-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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