The Indonesian Government says it will continue with its development plans for Papua despite the threats that it has received from the separatist groups.

“Papuans must understand that there will be no decline in the development progress in Papua despite the threats we’ve received,” said Mr Moeldoko, the Chief of Staff to the President of Indonesia in a statement.

He says that the Government will focus its efforts on the three districts of Nduga, Intan Jaya and Puncak which have been declared red zones due to the actions of the separatist groups.

“The duty of the State is not only to ensure the prosperity of the people, but to also protect the people, the nation and the country,” he said.

According to Mr Moeldoko, the Indonesian Defense Forces and the police will take firm measures, especially in the three districts where separatists actions have worsened.

President of Indonesia Mr Joko Widodo in West Papua.

“No matter what the conditions are in Papua, the authorities will continue to strive to accelerate development in the region,” he added.

In the Indonesian Presidential Instruction No. 9 of 2020, 43 ministries and agencies were instructed to assist in accelerating the development welfare in Papua and West Papua.

However, the Indonesian Government’s commitment to the development of Papua is not limited to infrastructure development, but also to ensure that human resources are enhanced.

In a statement published by the Ministry of Communications and Informatics in Jakarta, the Indonesian Government has developed two approaches which will lay the foundation for the region’s continued development.

President of Indonesia Mr Joko Widodo with representatives of West Papua.

The Indonesian President Joko Widodo had, in previous statements made, emphasized that national development should be Indonesia-centric.

The Deputy for Government Policy Support and National Vision of the Indonesian Vice-Presidential Secretariat, Velix Wanggai says that the Indonesian Government has developed a Papuan Development Acceleration Masterplan 2022 -2041 which will be referred to when formulating Indonesia’s National
Medium-Term Development Plan and the Regional Medium-Term Development Plan.

Mr Wanggai adds that there is a policy, called the Regional Autonomy Policy, which is implemented to increase the special autonomy budget allocation by 2,25 percent of the national general budget which will strengthen the communication between the central government and the regional governments in Papua.

By: MONICA AGUILAR