According to Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, the establishment of the Southwest Papua province aims to make development and prosperity of the Papuan people more equitable.
Through the inauguration of the autonomous region, the bureaucratic process, which was previously based in Manokwari, can be shortened upon being moved to Sorong as capital of the Southwest Papua province.
“We also hope to shorten the bureaucracy, no longer needing to coordinate, communicate between Manokwari and Sorong Raya, we now only need to travel to Sorong as the capital,” said Tito in his address after inaugurating the province of Southeast Papua at the Home Ministry in Jakarta, as broadcasted by the Home Ministry’s YouTube on Friday (9/12.2022).
Tito explained that the establishment of the new province in Papua is a solution for optimizing public services. This step can shorten the government’s span of control to be more efficient and effective, in line with the principles of good governance.
“There needs to be expansion in order to shorten bureaucracy since it is no easy task to cut down lengthy bureaucracy in a geographical environment as tough as Papua, as well as very high level of population distribution,” he said.
In addition, he has requested all concerned parties to assist the Acting Governor of Southwest Papua Muhammad Masa’ad who was appointed to develop the new province. Southwest Papua was inaugurated as a new province, making it Indonesia’s 38th province.
The inauguration was conducted by Home Minister Tito Karnavian on behalf of President Joko Widodo on Friday, 9 December. The inauguration was marked by the beating of a tifa, and continued with the signing of the inscription of the Southwest Papua Province by the Home Minister. The Bill for the establishment of the Southwest Papua Province was passed into law during the plenary of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) on 17 November 2022. The bill was then passed into Law No. 29 year 2022. The province’s establishment underwent a long process, starting from the submission of the people’s aspirations to the Home Affairs Ministry, Regional House of Representatives, and House of Representatives, as well as from Papuan figures to the President.
Adapted from Kompas.
West Papua Now 