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