90 Percent Of Papuans Do Not Matter Otsus, Mahfud: Those Who Asked It To Stop Only On Social Media

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam), Mahfud MD (Photo: Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam), Mahfud MD, claims that 90 percent of Papuans have no problem with the special autonomy (Otsus) issue. According to him, the ones who are at issue are certain people and those who are only busy on social media.

"We have communicated with various parties. We have also discussed the views of the Papuan people's assembly, the DPRP (Papuan People's Representative Council), community leaders. In conclusion, more than 90 percent of Papuans do not question Otsus. That's what is talking about it. "By the way, to stop Otsus, you don't have to extend it, it's only for certain people and certain social media. From that to that, it is reflected abroad. But we are Indonesians. We are in there almost no one who rejects it," said Mahfud. in a press conference held online, Friday, October 2.

Moreover, Mahfud said, what was carried out was not the application of special autonomy. This is because Papua's Special Autonomy will continue to apply without needing to be extended.

As for what the government is currently doing is revising one of the articles in Law Number 21 of 2001 concerning Special Autonomy for Papua. "Not ending or extending the law but revising Article 34 regarding the special autonomy fund because the funds expire in 2021. So that if they are not revised now, the funds are not legally valid," he said.

The former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) said that the government would provide special autonomy funds according to the request of the Papuan people and this was proven by an increase in the general allocation fund by 2.5 percent. However, he said that the people there should be able to benefit from the allocation funds.

So, in making this revision, the government will try to regulate the control of the special autonomy fund issue can be controlled from the center. The goal is that all people can feel the funds. "Now we arrange it. This is a lot of funds for you, O Papuan people. We arrange it, so that it reaches the people," he said.

Furthermore, Mahfud also said that he often heard a lot of misleading information or statements about the condition of the poor Papuan people even though the regions were rich. However, the opposite happened. The central government actually spends more money on Papua each year, reaching Rp. 46 trillion, but it does not generate much revenue.

"This is the data, the government spends funds for Papua, that is IDR 46 trillion every year. Meanwhile, the results of natural exploration from Papua, including forest gold and others, including taxes from companies in Papua, including Freeport, contribute only Rp. 12 trillion to the state. so. So a quarter, "he said.

"So where do people accuse Papua's wealth of being drained by the center and the people do not get it. If Rizal Ramli's calculations were put forward at the ILC with me, the average per head of Papuans gets 17 times more than the average per national head. But it didn't happen because there was a lot of corruption there, "he concluded.