Douglas L. | Papuan Observer
Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Mendikbudristek) Nadiem Makarim said his party had never received data on the use of Papua’s special autonomy (Otsus) funds for education.
Throughout 2020, Papua received an education budget allocation of Rp. 1.62 trillion from the total Papua Special Autonomy funds of Rp. 5.29 trillion. Meanwhile, West Papua received around IDR 470 billion of the total West Papua Special Autonomy fund of IDR 1.7 trillion.
Nadiem said transparency in the use of the education budget from year to year is very important. He also hopes for support from various parties so that in the future the use of special autonomy funds in the education sector can be more transparent.
“This is one of the challenges, and indeed it is something that needs support from various parties to increase transparency in the use of Otsus funds in education”
So far, said Nadiem, his party has only received reports on the allocation of the education budget from the special autonomy funds disbursed to the two easternmost provinces in Indonesia.
However, there has never been a report regarding the details and details of the use of the special autonomy funds in the education sector.
In line with Nadiem’s statement, the Monitoring Committee for the Implementation of Regional Autonomy (KPPOD) considers that reports on the use of Papua’s special autonomy funds have not been transparent and accountable. In fact, large special autonomy funds need governance that meets the aspects of transparency and accountability.
In addition, reports on the use of special autonomy funds that are not transparent and accountable also make it difficult to carry out the evaluation. In the end, the report cannot be used as a basis for decision making.
KPPOD’s policy analyst, Ditha Mangiri said that the effective and transparent management of the special autonomy fund certainly had a good impact on the Papuan economy. Based on the results of the examination by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in 2008-2019, the basic problems in managing the special autonomy fund include regulatory, institutional and human resources aspects. Of the 1,500 recommendations from the BPK examination, 257 or 35 percent of the recommendations have not been followed up.
The results of the examination have not yet been followed up, indicating that there are still many problems that illustrate that the special autonomy goal has not been achieved. The provision of special autonomy funds in the form of regional transfers has also not been managed adequately and still creates deviations or risks of misuse of funds that can affect the effectiveness of achieving the objectives of special autonomy.
