The Ministry of Home Affairs asks the Papua Provincial Government to transparently manage the 2026 Otsus Fund

ILLUSTRATION PHOTO/DOK ANTARA

WAMENA - The Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) emphasizes the importance of openness in the management of Special Autonomy (Otsus) funds for the 2026 fiscal year in Papua.

The Central Government through the Ministry of Finance has disbursed the Otsus phase I funds to six provinces, namely Papua, West Papua, Central Papua, South Papua, Papua Mountains, and South West Papua.

This step is expected to be followed by accountable reporting so that the benefits of the budget can be felt and known directly by the wider community.

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri) of the Republic of Indonesia, Ribka Haluk, stated that the regional governments in the six provinces have a moral obligation to convey the realization of the budget to the public.

"We hope that after the regional autonomy fund is realized, the regional government in the six provinces must be able to convey it to the public so that the public knows that the regional autonomy fund is managed or used for anything," said Ribka as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, April 14, 2026.

According to Ribka, in the era of information openness today, transparency is the main key to building trust between the government and citizens.

He warned that the management of state funds for the Papuan people should not be done in a closed manner in order to avoid speculation and suspicion among the community.

"The use of Otsus funds must be conveyed to the public, not secretly because the public will be suspicious about its use. We hope that the regional government that has used Otsus funds can be made public," he said.

Regarding the progress of distribution, Ribka explained that the realization of the 2026 phase I Otsus funds had reached 95 percent in 46 areas in Papua.

This figure shows a very positive development and the distribution is expected to be completed in the near future.

The Ministry of Home Affairs together with the Ministry of Finance and Bappenas continues to monitor and identify problems in each region to ensure the effectiveness of the use of these funds.

Ribka added that the Development Acceleration Team continues to be committed to improving governance to ensure that the budget really has an impact on regional progress.

"We ensure that issues regarding the use of Otsus funds in Papua will be resolved immediately. Improvements in the governance of fund use have continued to show positive developments in recent years," he concluded.