Papua tribes need Rp 47b

Papua tribes need Rp 47b

JAYAPURA, Papua: The Papua Regional Office for Community
Development (BPMD) hopes to secure Rp 47 billion in funds from
the government to develop isolated tribes in 14 remote areas in
the province, an official said on Saturday.

BPMD chairman Tedjo Suprapto said his office had yet to
receive a response to the funding request from the Regional
Development Planning and Controlling Body or the provincial
legislative council. The BPMD submitted the proposal for funds to
help tribes in the Jayapura, Jayawijaya, Merauke, Mimika, Fakfak,
Manokwari, Sorong, Nabire, Puncak Jaya, Paniai and Yapen Waropen
regencies.

Tedjo voiced concern over the continuation of tribal
development projects, including infrastructure and educational
projects, if the government failed to disburse the funds this
month.

"The (tribal members) are Indonesians who deserve support just
like their brothers in other regions. They live in such poor
conditions on such prosperous land," he said.

Research by the Summer Institut of Linguistik (SIL), in
cooperation with Cenderawasih University, showed that were 253
tribes with their own languages in Papua, with about 75 percent
of these tribes classified as isolated.

Tedjo said that while the government had failed to provide
support for the isolated tribes, some missionaries and
humanitarian organizations had been working with the tribes for
years.

"As a government official, I will be ashamed to face the
foundations and foreign missionaries if the government fails to
disburse the funds, because the tribes really need the
government's support," he said.

"Officials here have come to an agreement that the government
just has to provide the funds and supervision, while the BPMD,
the Social Welfare Body, humanitarian organizations and religious
institutions will take on the active role of helping the tribes
develop," Tedjo said. --Antara