Rebecca Marian | Papuan student living in Jakarta
Special autonomy in Papua, which will be extended next year, has become a topic of discussion in almost all corners of Papua. The community is waiting for the extension of Otsus because there will be more development there. The Special Autonomy Fund is also quite large so that it has succeeded in prospering the Papuan people.
Papua is a part of Indonesia that is no longer marginalized. Even though the location is very far from the capital city, the Provinces of West Papua and Papua are already shrouded in modernity and do not only contain wilderness. Progress on the Earth of Cendrawasih is not only reflected in its infrastructure but also in its people. The son of Papua, Billy Mambrasar, succeeded in becoming the President’s special staff at a young age.
All progress on the Earth of Cendrawasih thanks to the attention of the central government which provides the special autonomy
Every year billions of funds are disbursed from Jakarta to develop Papua. In 2021 there will be an extension of the program and all elements of society there support it. But of course, there must be an evaluation related to the Otsus program. The goal is that special autonomy volume 2 can run even better. Member of Commission I DPR RI, Sukamta, stated that in the next period, the effectiveness of Otsus should be increased. The goal is for this program to run more optimally.
Sukamta continued, increasing the effectiveness of special autonomy in Papua can be done employing human, social, and physical development. Besides, the approach to Papuans must be humane and adapted to the culture of the people there. So this program will be more successful than Otsus volume 1.
Human development, aka HR, is very important because the special autonomy funds are not only channeled for infrastructure. But also for the education sector. In that sense, the money is not only made for school buildings, but also for improving the quality of the students. Apart from receiving scholarships, they are entitled to competent and patient teachers.
Human resource development can also be done in the informal sector. For example, some of the special autonomy funds are used as vocational training programs, so that the unemployed get capital in the form of knowledge. After attending the workshop, they can become reliable entrepreneurs. Also skilled in processing Papuan produce such as sago and tubers.
Meanwhile, social development is aimed at the prosperity of the community. So far, people are still farming traditionally. So later with the special autonomy fund, it is hoped that there will be counseling on farming using modern tools. Also taught how to calculate the shifts of the seasons, so there will be no stories about crop failure by farmers.
Besides, farmers can also be taught how to process agricultural products. If the tubers are made of chips or flour, they will be more valuable. They were also taught how to market it, product packaging, and how to take care of licensing. So, they will change their status from traditional farmers to reliable agro entrepreneurs who succeed in earning more income.
All training and outreach are of course held with Otsus funds. Because it includes the field of vocational education as well as economics. So there is no more news about hunger in Papua because of drought and crop failure. The reason is that farmers are getting smarter in predicting when the rainy season occurs and the planting season begins.
A humane approach during Otsus volume 2 is very important because the teaching must be slow and must not be forced. Because change cannot happen overnight. Farmers must also be approached culturally so that teachers adapt to the indigenous Papuan culture.
It is predicted that the extension of special autonomy will bring Papua to a more advanced level. The Special Autonomy Fund is given to build not only infrastructure but also to improve the quality of human resources. The Special Autonomy budget for education is also provided for non-formal education so that there will be more young entrepreneurs in Papua.
