Govt gears up for MRP establishment

JAKARTA: As the September deadline draws near, the Papuan provincial government has begun disseminating information to public on the planned establishment of the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP).

The MRP, a consultative body to represent the cultural interests of the Papuan people, will start work in September this year.

"The most difficult part of our task is surely dividing the electoral areas because we're not dividing them by territory but by culture. For example, Mimika and Asmat are in different territories, but embrace a similar culture," he told reporters. The MRP will have 42 members, which will include three groups of 14 representatives consisting of cultural leaders, religious leaders and women. Meanwhile, Salossa also added that the President had agreed to the plan to turn Papua into five provinces, but such a plan required the approval of the MRP before being passed into law. -- JP