18 Marriage Mass Couples In West Papua, Funds From The 2022 Village Budget

Mass marriage in Kampung Iriati West Papua on Friday 16 September 2022. (Antara)

PAPUA - The Kampung Iriati government in West Papua in collaboration with the local Population and Civil Registration Office held a mass marriage on Friday, September 16.

The wedding took place in Iriati Village, Wasior District, which was also attended by 18 couples from the village.

The Acting Head of Iriati Village, Yohanes Payai explained, this mass marriage was deliberately made in the village to make it easier for residents who have been married religiously but have not officially registered for marriage.

In addition, mass marriages are also carried out in order to realize the orderly population administration in Iriati Village.

Ari, Yohanes Payai's nickname, said that the mass marriage financing came from the 2022 Village Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBKam).

He continued, the results of the village SDGs data collection that had been carried out showed that many local residents did not have complete population documents. Most of them are indigenous Papuans (OAP).

The majority of the residents are known to not have a family card (KK) because they are not married according to religion, civil marriage or both, children do not yet have a birth certificate, so it is difficult to register for school, nor do they have ID cards and children do not yet have KIA (child identity cards).

"From the findings regarding the population documents, steps were taken by making mass marriage activities for residents in Iriati Village, sourced from the 2022 Kampung APB of Rp. 11,125,000," said Ari.

The Regent of Teluk Wondama, Hendrik Mambor, who was present at the event stated that population documents were important. Mambor wants the orderly population administration to start at the village level.

"Population assessments such as marriage certificates are important for children's matters, for example if they want to register for school or want to take part in police tests, soldiers, these documents are needed. We also want to be orderly in administration because the data is very important for planning in the village, districts to the district. Thus, when planning (development) we have a good database," explained Mambor.

The Regent appreciated the initiative from the Kampung Iriati Government which had carried out mass civil marriage activities by utilizing village funds.

He hopes that with such an effort in the future, population administration can be realized in every village in Wondama.

"The government's job is to make it easier to provide services to the community. So we are bringing services closer to the community," said Mambor while ordering the Pasutri who carried out civil marriages to maintain household harmony.

On that occasion, the Regent of Mambor symbolically handed over one unit of a three-wheeled motorbike for garbage transportation facilities in Iriati Village as well as sports clothes for local youths sourced from the 2022 Village Fund.