Coordinating Minister For Human Development And Culture Asks Religious Leaders To Play A Role In Building Papua

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy during a meeting with 10 Christian and Catholic religious leaders in Mimika Regency, Central Papua. (ANTARA/HO-Kemenko PMK)

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy asked religious leaders to play a role in social development and empower the community in Papua.

"This can be done if you are really willing, including for the handling of poverty and stunting, the poverty rate is high, the stunting rate is high. If the church can help, the government is very happy," said Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, September 1.

According to him, this is important considering that the Papuan people are religious people and obey religious leaders.

This was said by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy during a meeting with 10 Christian and Catholic religious leaders in Mimika Regency, Central Papua, in order to identify development equitable strategies in the Mimika Regency as a whole.

On that occasion, religious leaders expressed their respective views regarding the problems in Central Papua.

They are of the view that for problems in Papua there are still problems with inequality in the quality of human resources between local residents and migrants, which are caused by factors of the lack of educators, formal and informal education activities, and basic education service infrastructure, as well as government support for the implementation of education by private educational institutions.

In addition, according to them, there are still many people who think schools are not very important.

Religious leaders asked the government to further flatten development in Central Papua, as well as smooth accessibility to access to education and health.

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said that currently the government is very focused on developing Papua.

Therefore, for the problem of social development and community empowerment, his party asked religious leaders to contribute, especially in empowering the community, providing understanding of the importance of education, as well as dealing with extreme stunting and poverty in Papua.

"So that the church functions not only religion, but also the welfare of the people. Let's try to maximize the role of this church," asked Coordinating Minister Muhadjir Effendy.