BEM Alliance In Kalimantan Demands Special Autonomy For East Kalimantan

PHOTO VIA BETWEEN

SAMARINDA - The Alliance of Student Executive Boards (BEM) throughout Kalimantan held a demonstration to convey several demands, one of which demanded special autonomy for East Kalimantan (Kaltim).

"Our first demand is to ask for special autonomy for East Kalimantan. Second, to revise the IKN Law. Third, to ask for the involvement of the East Kalimantan community in the transfer and development of IKN," said Central Kalimantan BEM Coordinator Husain Firdaus in Samarinda, quoted by Antara, Thursday, 3 February.

Husain explained, the existence of special autonomy is a form of guarantee that the transfer of IKN is not only a matter of the central government and its infrastructure.

"The hope of this special autonomy is to support IKN. Having a separate regional budget is a form of guarantee for the welfare of the people of East Kalimantan," he said.

Therefore, his party tried to seek special autonomy and asked the local government to support the existence of special autonomy.

Furthermore, Husain also mentioned that the revision of the IKN Law had a very low academic text so that it seemed rushed and there was a lack of public participation in the formation of the IKN Law.

Husain also said, there are several things that are ambiguous that the IKN (Penajam Paser Utara-Kutai Kartanegara) area is said to have not entered the East Kalimantan area.

"We will ask whether the transfer of IKN is part of East Kalimantan or create a new province later," he said.

After the action, the BEM in Kalimantan will likely hold hearings with regional leaders.

According to Husain, there must be the widest possible involvement of the people of East Kalimantan in the transfer of IKN, starting from the field of work and later until there is actually a central government.

For this reason, he emphasized that his party did not reject the transfer of IKN because it was one of the innovations of the central government with the aim of not having inequality between western Indonesia and eastern Indonesia.

"We welcome it with a record that we remain a critical partner in moving IKN. This solution is a good cause and we will support it, but when there are policies that are not pro to the people of East Kalimantan, we will continue to monitor and criticize," said Husain.

He added that it was very important for a local man who would become the head of the authority for IKN Nusantara because this figure was said to know the ins and outs of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara.