Poverty and inequalies are potential social time bombs
Poverty and inequalies are potential social time bombs
That Papua is one of the poorest provinces in Indonesia is
beyond dispute, but what is less known to date is the deep
disparity that exists there.
The IFES public opinion survey found disparities not simply
between people in urban and rural areas, which is not that
unusual in Indonesia, but also between indigenous Papuans and
migrants (which today make up more than 40 percent of the
population), and also between the major tribes in the province.
The survey looked at various social and economic indicators in
the province, from access to education and health, to the means
of transportation and the economic conditions of the 2.3 million
population.
The disparities found are potential social time bombs that
could explode, lest the government in Jakarta and the Papuan
capital of Jayapura quickly move to redress them.
The gross inequalities in Papua found in the survey should
also serve as a warning to Jakarta to rethink its plan on
splitting Papua into three provinces. That is, unless the
government in Jakarta has anything other than the well-being of
the Papuan people in mind.
The Papuan problem is already a mess without the government
complicating it by dividing the territory into three parts, which
would only exacerbate the existing divisions revealed by the
survey.
At first glance, the state of education in Papua did not look
all that bad. School participation, for example, is 85 percent on
average.
But of those attending school, one third misses class from
time to time, according to the survey.
The main reason for missing on school is lack of finances, but
"need to help at home" and lack of transportation are other
potentially major problems. (Table 5).
Three in four (74 percent) students walk to school, and for
indigenous Papuans, the incidence of walking to school is even
higher at 82 percent.
Poverty, in other words, has a lot to do with the poor rate of
school attendance among Papuan children.
Ignorance about school extends to parents, many of whom are
unaware that school fees for elementary and high school will soon
be dropped.
Again the disparity between tribes makes compelling study.
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Table 5. What is the main reason for not attending school?
Lani/Dani Yaly Asmat Marind Biak Sentani Moi Baham
Financial
constraints 65 83 99 76 43 39 39 67 Need
to help
out at home 16 8 0 12 0 17 32 3
Lack of transport 15 8 0 0 39 0 18 10
Too far away 0 0 0 8 13 17 0 7
Source: Public Opinion Survey Papua Indonesia, IFES
On health issues, the IFES survey found that for most Papuans,
going to a puskesmas (community health center) is the only choice
in seeking medical treatment in the apparent lack of hospital and
doctor's services.
Malaria is widespread, but to a lesser extent in the
mountainous areas around Wamena, according to the survey. On
average, 77 percent of all Papuans have had at least one
household member contract malaria in the last 12 months. For some
indigenous tribes, the incidence is significantly higher, up to
more than 90 percent in some cases. (Table 6)
Table 6. Have you or any member of your household suffered from
any of these illnesses in the past 12 months?
Lani/Dani Yaly Asmat Marind Biak Sentani Moi Baham
Malaria 35 67 96 68 96 79 84 89
Digestive
problems 16 35 1 21 0 2 21 2
Respiratory
problems 5 15 10 13 2 5 15 5
Dengue 7 8 19 4 1 2 18 0
Other
illness 0 3 0 5 1 4 3 1
Illness
unknown 33 26 3 10 0 1 2 2
Never
been ill 37 18 4 20 4 19 8 11
Source: Public Opinion Survey Papua, IFES
"The results on this survey indicate that many areas of Papua,
especially rural areas, suffer from inadequate health facilities.
While the diet of most respondents includes a good mix of
nutrients, a significant percentage of respondents indicate that
they need to boil their water before drinking in most areas," the
survey said in its summary of the health condition.
"As with education, there has been little investment in public
health infrastructure in Papua over the last few years."