Regrets The Emergence Of Demo, Member Of DPR F-Gerindra Affirms DOB Accelerate Development Of Papua

Member of the DPR RI from Papua from the Gerindra Party, Yan Permenas Mandenas. ANTARA/HO/Personal documents

JAYAPURA - Member of the DPR from the Electoral District of Papua, Yan Permenas Mandenas, emphasized that the new autonomous regions (DOB) could accelerate development.

"It is very inappropriate for the demonstration to reject the new autonomous regions because with the expansion, the acceleration of development will definitely occur and the community will also feel it," he said, quoted by Antara, Saturday, May 14.

"I suspect that the rejection of the new autonomous regions is not pure and is driven by certain groups whose origins we all know," said the Gerindra Party politician.

Mandenas admits that when he was a student at Cendrawasih University, he also often held demonstrations by taking to the streets and these actions were also accompanied by certain interests.

"There is no free demo even since I was a student in the 2000s, (also) there have been sponsors," said Mandenas.

He hopes that the community, especially students, will no longer force them to take to the streets by rejecting the new autonomous regions because it will harm the region itself.

According to him, many regions in Indonesia have requested expansion, but it has not been approved, while Papua is scheduled to be discussed in the DPR.

The majority of Papuans, according to him, support the new autonomous regions, so the government hopes that the government will not hesitate to expand the province which has a large area.

The land area of Papua, which is 3.5 times the island of Java, currently has only two provinces, namely Papua and West Papua.

Regarding West Papua, explained Mandenas, it cannot be expanded because it is only 22 years old after it was divided from Papua.

"Let's support the new autonomous regions because the people who will experience it directly, including those who are currently holding demonstrations against the new autonomous regions," said Mandenas.