Sorong Mayor Prepares Mayoral Regulation as Guideline for Handling Social Conflicts

The Sorong City Government has begun drafting a regulation to serve as a guideline for handling social conflicts, aiming to strengthen inter-agency coordination and provide legal certainty in resolving disputes in the region. The initiative was discussed during a Social Conflict Handling Coordination Meeting held in the Anggrek Meeting Room at the Sorong Mayor’s Office, Southwest Papua, on Sunday (12/7). The meeting was chaired by Sorong Mayor Septinus Lobat and attended by Assistant I Jeremias Gempenop, Assistant III Musa Fonataba, Expert Staff for PHP Abdul Rahim Oeli, Head of the National Unity and Politics Agency Hendrikus Momot, and representatives from relevant regional apparatus organisations. In his directives, Septinus Lobat stressed that social conflicts that have occurred several times in Sorong City require more targeted handling through a regulation with a strong legal basis. ‘The Sorong City Government has no authority over security or law enforcement. The local government’s role is as a facilitator in resolving social conflicts,’ said Septinus. He stated that the drafting of the legal product would involve the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum, tribal chiefs, the Legal Department, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Police, and the Sorong City Government’s legal counsel to ensure all provisions have a clear legal foundation. The Mayor also proposed that all tribal chiefs registered with the National Unity and Politics Agency, both from Papuan and Nusantara backgrounds, sign a joint agreement as a form of commitment to maintaining security and order in Sorong City. Furthermore, the division of authority among various parties will be clarified in the regulation. Security and criminal matters remain under the authority of the Indonesian National Armed Forces and the National Police in accordance with statutory provisions, while the resolution of customary sanctions or fines becomes the responsibility of the conflicting parties through customary mechanisms. ‘The City Government only acts as a mediator and facilitator, and can provide humanitarian assistance in accordance with applicable regulations,’ Septinus said. The meeting also discussed the mechanism for providing assistance to victims of conflict. The Mayor emphasised that local government assistance is limited to compensation or bereavement support for victims who are residents of Sorong City and meet administrative requirements. ‘This assistance is not to be interpreted as compensation for the conflict,’ he said. Septinus requested that the meeting results be promptly recorded in official minutes signed by the City Government, the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum, the Regional House of Representatives, and all tribal chiefs. The document will then serve as the basis for issuing a Mayor’s Decree before being elevated to a Mayoral Regulation following a legal review. He expressed hope that the regulation would provide legal certainty, clarify the authority of each party, and encourage the active role of tribal chiefs in guiding the community to prevent social conflicts. Through the drafting of this regulation, the Sorong City Government aims to establish a more targeted, coordinated, and legally grounded social conflict handling system to maintain security and order, as well as to support development and public welfare in Sorong City.