Divide Irian Jaya into three: Advisor
Divide Irian Jaya into three: Advisor
JAKARTA (JP): A senior consultant to the government has proposed that Irian Jaya be divided into three separate provinces to facilitate the administration of the huge and largely underdeveloped territory, Antara reported yesterday.
Astrid Susanto, who is an advisor to the National Development Planning Board, said splitting the province would allow the government to reach the farthest corners of Irian Jaya, which now escape the attention of the provincial administration.
The province of Irian Jaya, with its capital Jayapura in the northeast of the province, is three times the size of Java, which is divided into five separate administrations. Irian Jaya is also the same size as Kalimantan, which is divided into three provinces, she pointed out.
Besides being the largest province in Indonesia, Irian Jaya is one of the least populated, with a total population of 1.82 million in 1990, and the least developed territories in Indonesia. The province, previously known as Dutch West Guinea, was won in 1963 after an armed conflict with the Netherlands.
Astrid proposed splitting the province into three parts: the "Bird's Head" region in the northwest with Sorong as the seat of the administration, the northern territory with Jayapura as the capital, and the southern territory with Timika as its capital.
Timika is a fast growing mining town where PT Freeport, the huge American gold and copper mining company, operates.
Her proposal is not new. Several observers in the past have called on the government to divide Irian Jaya into provinces because Jayapura alone cannot be expected to administer this vast territory efficiently and effectively.
The government has rejected the proposal largely on grounds of financial constraints. To address these concerns, the government appointed special assistants to the governor in 1994, each responsible for a particular region in the province.
One assistant is based in Jayapura to oversee the northern territory, one in Manokwari in the Bird's Head region, and another in Merauke in the south.
Astrid however pointed out that these deputies have not had any impact on the way the province is being administered.
She said after 33 years of Indonesian rule, Irian Jaya is still trailing far behind other provinces in terms of development.
A lot of the funds channeled to the Irian Jaya provincial administration are being spent on air transportation, chiefly from Jayapura, to reach far-flung areas, she said.
Land transportation in the meantime is virtually impossible given Irian Jaya's rough terrain. She noted that the Trans Irian Jaya Highways, linking Jayapura and Wamena, Jayapura and Merauke and Wamena and Paniai, are not completed yet.
Astrid expressed her concern at the slow rate of development in Irian Jaya when Indonesia is gearing up for the free trade era in the region and the world.
Irian Jaya, given its strategic location bordering with a number of countries, should be prepared for that era, she said.
"Unless the government provide development infrastructure, it will be difficult for Irian Jaya people to enjoy the fruits of development," she said. (emb)