Hipmi Congress Voters Polemic: Papua New Autonomous Regions Demand Regulatory Certainty

The real sector will be increasingly cautious about expanding its business. The controversy surrounding the determination of voting rights, or voters, ahead of the National Congress (Munas) of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi) is now in the spotlight. For four Regional Management Boards (BPD) of Hipmi from the New Autonomous Regions (DOB) of Tanah Papua, this issue is not merely a struggle over the number of votes, but a test of regulatory certainty and organisational consistency. The BPD Hipmi DOB considers that as a business organisation, Hipmi must uphold the principles of predictability, equal treatment, and respect for agreed-upon rules. They warn that changing decisions post-verification risks creating uncertainty for members in the regions. The Chairman of BPD Hipmi Papua Pegunungan, Anthonius Wetipo, emphasised that the objection raised by his party should not be narrowly viewed as a debate over additional vote numbers. “This issue is not just about one extra vote or a reduction in voters. What is more important is how the organisation maintains consistency of rules and ensures every decision has a clear basis,” said Anthonius in a written statement. In line with this, the Chairman of BPD Hipmi Southwest Papua, Rob Rafael Kardinal, stressed that legal certainty is the main foundation of the business world that must be adopted in organisational life. According to him, when all verification requirements have been met, a decision should not change midway. The Chairman of BPD Hipmi Central Papua, Yoti Gire, recalled the results of the OKK BPP Hipmi coordination meeting in Bali, which had established a standard reference for voters. He assessed that any differing treatment of certain regions must have a strong normative basis. “If a standard has become a common reference, then its application must be consistent. Equal treatment is important so that all regions have the same trust in the organisational process,” Yoti stressed. Meanwhile, the Chairman of BPD Hipmi South Papua, Nickson Pampang, added that Hipmi’s credibility as the largest entrepreneurs’ organisation in Indonesia is highly dependent on transparency and fairness in decision-making. “Hipmi is an organisation of entrepreneurs. Therefore, its governance must also reflect business values, namely transparency, certainty, and fairness,” concluded Nickson. The four BPD Hipmi DOB Tanah Papua hope this polemic can be resolved immediately through an objective organisational mechanism to safeguard Hipmi’s dignity and credibility in the future.