Minister Of Home Affairs: Open Government In Discussion Of The Papua Special Autonomy Bill

Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian (ANTARA DOC)

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, emphasized that the government is open in discussing the revision of Law Number 21 of 2001 concerning Special Autonomy (Otsus) for Papua.

"In the end, the Special Special Autonomy Committee for Papua made changes to 19 articles, namely three articles proposed by the government and 16 articles that were not proposed by the government. The expansion of the additional 16 articles shows that the government is open", Tito said at the Special Special Autonomy Papua Working Meeting at the House of Representatives building, Jakarta, quoted on Monday, July 12.

Minister Tito said the government initially planned to amend three articles in the Papua Special Autonomy Law, namely Article 1 concerning General Provisions, Article 34 concerning the Special Autonomy Fund, and Article 76 concerning regional expansion.

According to him, in its development, there was a productive and quality discussion by listening to the aspirations of the Papuan people, the Indonesia House of Representatives, and the Indonesia Regional Representative Council so that in the end the Special Autonomy Committee for Papua determined the changes to 19 articles.

"The government's openness is in the sheer spirit of improving the welfare of our brothers and sisters in Papua so that it is hoped that in the next 20 years there will be a systematic and well-planned acceleration of development", he said.

Tito said the changes to the articles reflected a strong affirmation of the Papuan indigenous people (OAP) which is the commitment of all elements of the Indonesian nation.

According to him, the affirmation policy consists of three main frameworks, namely first, affirmative politics, namely by accommodating OAP by providing broad opportunities in the political field.

"Second, affirmation in the economic field by increasing Papua Special Autonomy funds from 2 percent to 2.25 percent of the general allocation fund (DAU) with improvements to the governance of its use as regulated in the revision of the Special Autonomy Law", he said.

Third, he continued, improvements in governance, namely changes in the revision of the Special Autonomy Law by emphasizing aspects of improvement through coordination and increased supervision carried out by the Indonesia House of Representatives, and the Indonesia Regional Representative Council, Audit Board of Indonesia, and universities, as well as the formation of a special agency under the coordination of the President.