Deputy Home Minister Says Improving Papua Special Autonomy Fund Governance is a Priority

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri) Ribka Haluk stated that improving the governance of the Special Autonomy (Otsus) Fund for Papua has become a government priority, aiming to ensure its distribution is timely and well-targeted, and has a real impact on public welfare. The statement was made by Ribka while attending a Coordination Meeting on Improving Governance and Preventing Corruption of the Otsus Fund in the Papua Province, West Papua, Southwest Papua, Central Papua, Highland Papua, and South Papua regions at the Papua Governor’s Office Hall in Jayapura, Thursday (16/7/2026). “Our problem today is not the Special Autonomy Fund itself, but its governance. How the Special Autonomy Fund can be disbursed on time and on target,” said Ribka. According to her, the results of the improvements are starting to show, with the disbursement of the 2025 Fiscal Year Otsus Fund reaching 100 per cent. In 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) continues to strengthen governance through an integrated system with the Ministry of Finance and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), linking the processes of planning, budgeting, reporting, as well as monitoring and evaluation, so that the disbursement of the Otsus Fund becomes more accountable and timely. By mid-2026, all provincial and district/city governments in Tanah Papua had realised the first phase of the Otsus Fund disbursement. Currently, local governments are being encouraged to immediately fulfil the requirements for the second phase of disbursement, including submitting realisation reports, performance reports, and drafting an Acceleration Action Plan (RAP). “The year 2026 must become a historical milestone for the improvement of Special Autonomy Fund governance that we will complete. After being timely, the next target is to be well-targeted and provide the right benefits. That is what we want to achieve together,” Ribka continued. To ensure a smooth process, local governments (Pemda) are asked to immediately finalise the RAP, including for the utilisation of efficiency savings returned by the central government. Completing these documents is considered important so that the next phase of Otsus Fund disbursement does not experience delays. Ribka emphasised that Kemendagri will continue to assist local governments in strengthening Otsus Fund governance through the application of the 5T principles: tepat data (accurate data), tepat waktu (timely), tepat sasaran (well-targeted), tepat kelola (well-managed), and tepat manfaat (providing the right benefits). With increasingly better governance, the Otsus Fund is being encouraged to support the acceleration of development and improve the welfare of the people in Tanah Papua.