KPK Proposes Separating Papua Special Autonomy Fund Accounts from Regional Budgets
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is pushing for the separation of Papua’s Special Autonomy (Otsus) fund accounts from the Regional Budget (APBD) to strengthen transparency and oversight. This measure is considered to facilitate the tracking of fund flows, making the management of Otsus funds more accountable, transparent, and easier to monitor. “We want the management of Otsus funds to have a clear, transparent, and easily supervised mechanism. With a better system, the potential for irregularities can be minimised and the benefits of the budget can truly be felt by the Papuan people,” said KPK Chairman Setyo Budiyanto during the opening of the Coordination Meeting on Improving the Governance of Special Autonomy Funds at the Papua Governor’s Office Hall in Jayapura on Thursday (16/7/2026).
In addition to evaluating governance, the KPK will follow up on the implementation of a joint commitment previously signed by local governments across Tanah Papua. Setyo stated that the evaluation aims to identify various obstacles while formulating sustainable improvement measures. The coordination meeting was attended by governors, regents, and mayors from across Tanah Papua, along with the Papuan House of Representatives (DPR Papua), the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP), and related ministries and agencies to formulate joint steps to strengthen Otsus fund governance from the planning to the budget accountability stages.
KPK stressed the importance of ensuring that every Otsus budget truly provides real benefits to the community through collaboration with ministries, institutions, and all local governments in Tanah Papua. “Every rupiah of the special autonomy fund must be accounted for and truly returned to the community in the form of public services, development, and improved welfare. Therefore, we are building not only compliance with regulations but also a system capable of preventing irregularities,” Setyo said. He added that the second year of regional leadership serves as an important momentum to evaluate and improve governance, including ensuring that Otsus fund management is more effective and free from the risk of irregularities.
“What we expect is not just fulfilling administrative obligations, but how all regional heads have the same commitment to improving governance. If problems are still found, let us identify the root causes together and resolve them through guidance, assistance, and supervision involving all relevant ministries and agencies,” he said. As part of strengthening the prevention system, the KPK is collaborating with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), the Government Goods and Services Procurement Policy Institute (LKPP), the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), and the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of Otsus fund management according to their respective authorities.
This approach is expected to produce sustainable improvements, not just resolve administrative issues. “The KPK has monitoring, coordination, and supervision functions. However, the success of governance reform heavily depends on the collaboration of all stakeholders. The goal is not to find fault, but to ensure the government system runs better and the risk of corruption can be suppressed,” Setyo said. During the evaluation process, the KPK identified several areas still at risk of irregularities, including the procurement of goods and services, regional asset management, personnel management, and regional financial management. One notable finding was the existence of regional assets that had not been returned even though the officials using them had retired.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Papua, in a speech read by Vice Governor Aryoko Alberto Ferdinand Rumaropen, appreciated the KPK and all ministries and agencies that initiated the forum. The forum was seen as a momentum to strengthen the commitment to building a clean, accountable, and integrity-driven government, particularly in managing Otsus funds, development planning and budgeting, and the procurement of goods and services. “All these processes are the main foundation to ensure that every rupiah of the budget truly provides real benefits for the community, especially Indigenous Papuans. We realise that the Special Autonomy Fund is a mandate that must be safeguarded together,” said Vice Governor Aryoko Rumaropen. “This fund is not just a figure in budget documents, but an instrument to improve the quality of education, health services, infrastructure development, community economic empowerment, and the welfare of Indigenous Papuans,” he continued. The event also saw the inauguration of the Anti-Corruption Prevention Forum for the Management of Special Autonomy Funds in the Papua Region. The establishment of this forum is expected to serve as a cross-stakeholder coordination platform to oversee the implementation of Otsus fund governance that is more transparent, accountable, and oriented towards the welfare of the Papuan people.