Special autonomy for Papua

Special autonomy for Papua

During the last hours before the House of Representatives went
into recess, the law on special autonomy for the province of
Papua was endorsed. A cursory look reveals that this new law
covers many aspects which will hopefully push the province of
Papua into modernity and neutralize any serious intentions on the
part of some Papuans to secede from the Republic of Indonesia.

The money aspect of this new law alone is simply staggering.
If for the current budget year of 2001 this province of 2.1
million inhabitants was allocated the sum of Rp 3.5 trillion
(roughly US$350 million), a conservative calculation for 2002
would raise this to Rp 7 trillion ($700 million), which means an
increase of 100 percent.

A good example of the grand-scale adjustments which this new
law makes for the province is the increase in the portion of
revenue allocated to Papua from oil and gas royalties as
stipulated by Law No. 25/1999. According to this law, Papua
receives only 15 percent of the accrued oil royalties and 30
percent of the gas royalties.

The new law stipulates an increase of 55 percent in oil
royalties to arrive at a total of 70 percent, and a 40 percent
increase in gas royalties to 70 percent. These new increases will
be implemented over a period of 25 years in order to give the
province an opportunity to catch up with the more advanced
provinces in the republic. After 25 years, these increases will
be respectively reduced by 20 percent.

These arrangements are far more generous than those applied to
the special province of Aceh Nangroe Darussalam. If the huge
potentials of the offshore Tangguh gas field in the Bird's Head
area of Papua comes fully onstream and the marketing contracts
are in place, one does not need a superb analytical mind to
project the huge windfall for Papua.

Although this money aspect is not unimportant, the new law on
the special autonomy status for Papua carries some sociopolitical
arrangements that are no less significant and will satisfy the
long-suppressed aspirations of the Papua people. For instance,
there will be a specially installed Papua People's Council with
the membership comprising indigenous Papuans. This council is
designed to protect the rights of the indigenous Papuans based on
their customary laws and rituals.

The council has the prerogative to voice its opinion on
possible candidates for the governor, candidate members for the
People's Consultative Assembly and an assortment of issues that
affect the representation and administration of Papua. On the
appointment of the police chief for the special province of
Papua, the new law stipulates that candidates' names should be
submitted to the governor for approval. It is also agreed that
the flag of Papua is considered a cultural symbol and that it
does not express Papua's sovereignty as an independent state.
Although the law makes far-reaching concessions and adjustments,
certain diehard separatists under the leadership of Theys Hiyo
Eluay or those associated with the Free Papua Movement (OPM) will
not be satisfied.

The crux of the matter, however, is how the trillions of
rupiah will be spent and managed. We suggest that a highly placed
advisory board be established, of course with generous
remunerations, to design a development plan for Papua. Certainly,
human resources development should have the highest priority.
Papua should have a first-class secondary education system. For
that purpose quality teachers could be recruited from other parts
of Indonesia. Of course, Papua can afford to offer generous
arrangements for recruited teachers in terms of salary, housing,
etc. The important thing is a solid plan exists that is not too
complicated, and there is determination to prudently manage the
newly acquired wealth.

The adoption of the new law does not mean that all problems
related to Papua will cease to exist. Constant dialog and
consultation among Papuans and between Papuans and the political
leaders in Jakarta will still be needed. At least, however, it
can be said that the new law on special autonomy for the province
of Papua provides us with a window of opportunity to achieve
stability and prosperity in this easternmost Indonesian province.