Deputy Interior Minister Ribka Optimistic that First Phase of Papua's Special Autonomy Funds Will Be Completed This Week
Deputy Interior Minister (Wamendagri) Ribka Haluk stated that the distribution of the first phase of Special Autonomy Funds (Otsus) in Papua has reached 95 per cent. The government is optimistic that the realisation of the distribution will be completed soon.
This optimism was expressed by Ribka after leading a virtual meeting to accelerate the distribution of Otsus funds in five regional governments from the Ministry of Home Affairs headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday (7/4).
Based on the evaluation results, most areas in Papua have received the first phase fund transfer.
“Out of 46 regions in Papua, 95 per cent has been realised, meaning the funds are already in the Regional General Cash Account (RKUD),” she said.
Nevertheless, there are still five regions where the distribution is not yet complete, namely the Province of Papua Pegunungan, Nduga Regency, Tambrauw Regency, Manokwari Regency, and Teluk Bintuni Regency.
Ribka emphasised that the obstacles encountered are administrative and technical in nature, thus not significantly hindering the distribution process.
To accelerate the resolution, the central government, together with the acceleration team involving the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), has identified issues in each region. Ribka is confident that all these obstacles can be resolved soon.
“I am very confident that within this week, these five regions will be settled,” she asserted.
Furthermore, Ribka mentioned that improvements in the governance of Otsus funds have shown positive developments in recent years.
She hopes that coordination between the central and local governments can continue to be enhanced so that the first phase distribution of 30 per cent can be carried out on time.
Ribka also reminded of the importance of supervision and sustainable management, especially in facing the subsequent phases scheduled for June or July, and the third phase in November.
“Hopefully, what we will handle going forward is how the quality of the reports must be better, measurable, and on target,” she explained.
In addition, she emphasised that Otsus funds play a strategic role in supporting various sectors, such as education, health, people’s economy, and infrastructure.
Therefore, their utilisation must be on target and provide real impact for the community, especially the Indigenous Papuans (OAP).
On the other hand, Ribka stressed the importance of transparency in managing these funds. Local governments are urged to convey information on fund usage openly to the public.
“Then, yes, at minimum, the utilisation must be published to the public, so that the community knows where the Otsus funds are going; this is mandatory, transparency of public information is very important,” she concluded.