Life as usual after Papua autonomy
Life as usual after Papua autonomy
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua
The troubled province of Papua was granted special autonomy in
2001 with around Rp 1.2 trillion disbursed last year to smooth
its implementation, but life remains unchanged among the
impoverished people there.
Only those linked to the local elite can enjoy the
disbursement of the autonomy funds for Papua, which is home to
more than 2.2 million people, a half of them migrant residents.
Local people say there has been no improvement to their
economic welfare after autonomy.
Mama Salomina, a vegetable vendor at Abepura traditional
market, said her life was unchanged, despite the enacting of Law
No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua.
"In the past, I opened a vegetable stall on the sidewalk and
now I am still here. I have never received money or any other
assistance from the government, though I have heard there are
special autonomy funds," she told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Another vendor, Mama Alberthin, shared similar grievances.
What has changed here was the increase in the number of new cars
in the streets belonging to government officials and councillors,
she said.
She said many state officials were often seen traveling
outside Papua or abroad.
Under the autonomy status, junior and senior high school
students were not supposed to pay education fees, but this has
not eventuated, as illustrated at Arso state senior high school.
"We still have to pay Rp 10,000 each per month for tuition,
while for the building donation, the school charges students Rp
160,000 each," said Prawesti, a second grade student at the
school.
Her classmate, Risma, said she and other students were unaware
that the provincial administration was supposed to provide free
schooling.
Arso principal Agus Rumbino confirmed it continued to collect
fees from his students to cover operational costs, despite the
government's decision on free education.
"If we don't do that, how can we pay non-permanent teachers
and other operational costs at the school?"
Rumbino said his school had received increased assistance of
Rp 5 million, on top of the Rp 40 million allocated by the
government each year, but added that the additional money would
be used to pay permanent teachers to teach more hours.
Papuans are also given free medical programs, but local
community health centers (Puskesmas) are often found lacking in
medicines.
"We do receive medical checkups free of charge, but doctors
still give us prescriptions to buy drugs at a drug store. It
means the medical service is not free," complained local resident
Verdinanda Ibo.
Agus Sumule, a former member of the assistance team that
drafted the bill on special autonomy, said Papua's 2002 budget
did not reflect impartiality with local people at large.
He said the Rp 1.2 trillion allocated for Papua was largely
used for development in the transportation sector, while
education, health, people's economic empowerment and
infrastructure, which were considered the most crucial to
Papuans, were not given priority in the budget.
The budget allocated 21.49 percent or Rp 262.495 billion of
the funds for the transportation sector, 18.86 percent or Rp 230
billion for education, 15.54 percent or Rp 189 billion for
health, and only 0.06 percent or Rp 730 million for the industry
sector.
"If the condition is not changed, the budget will not
accommodate Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy," Agus said,
adding that this could encourage certain groups of Papuans to
campaign against autonomy.
Papua's Institute for Civil Strengthening director Budy
Setyanto said grievances raised by many Papuans regarding the
implementation of autonomy were the "reality in the field".
"Special autonomy is merely jargon," he said.
The program, aimed at appeasing movements campaigning for
independence in Papua, would be successful only with "good will"
on the part of the government.