Receiving Surpres, DPR Will Revise Papua Special Autonomy Bill Early Next Year

Gedung DPR/MPR (Irfan Meidianto/VOI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the DPR, Puan Maharani, said that his party had received a presidential letter regarding the revision of Law Number 21 concerning Special Autonomy (Otsus) for Papua Province.

The presidential letter regarding the Papuan special autonomy was received by the DPR last December 4. Until now, the DPR is still encouraging the government to evaluate the contents of the special autonomy draft.

"The leadership of the DPR has encouraged the Government to evaluate the Papua Special Autonomy as a whole," said Puan in a plenary meeting for the closing of the second trial period 2020-2021 at the DPR building, Friday, December 11.

This evaluation, said Puan, is expected to be able to accelerate the improvement of the welfare of the people of Papua and West Papua which is carried out effectively. In addition, Puan also asked the government to open a dialogue with Papuan leaders.

"The government should continue to open and communicate with Papuan and West Papuan leaders, so as to build harmony of views and attitudes in carrying out development in Papua and West Papua," said Puan.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the DPR Aziz Syamsudin said that this revision would be followed up after the DPR reopened the session on January 10, 2021.

"Of course we will carry out this letter in a mechanism and order that applies during the trial period which we will do together on January 10, 2021," said Aziz.

In connection with this, there have been rejection of the revision of the Papua Special Autonomy. However, Menkopolhukam Mahfud MD claims 90 percent of Papuans do not have a problem with the special autonomy (Otsus) issue. According to him, what matters 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," Mahfud told Friday, October 2.

"That's what is said to stop Otsus, you don't have to extend it, it's only certain people and certain social media. From that to that too then it is reflected abroad. But we are Indonesians. We almost no one rejects us. that, "he continued.

Mahfud said that 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.

There is also 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 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.