Regulations ‘needed’ to back Papua autonomy

Nethy Dharma Somba — The government is being urged to immediately issue 19 government regulations to assist the implementation of special bylaws in Papua.

Sophie Maipauw, Regional Representatives’ Council (DPD) from Papua and West Papua, said the Home Ministry should prioritize the regulations to serve as guidelines in implementing the bylaws.

She said that before serving at the DPD, she was active in pushing the Papuan Legislative Council and the governor to approve draft bylaws.

“After I got elected to serve at the council, I saw that the bylaws cannot be enforced without the regulations backing them up,” she said in Jayapura recently.

The regulations, she said, served as technical guidelines for implementing the bylaws.

“We ask Home Ministry to prioritize the 19 government regulations. The special autonomy status [for Papua] has been running for eight years but it was not backed up by special regulation for its implementation.”

Sophie cited the bylaw on the management of Papua special autonomy fund, which was issued in 2007 but could not yet be enforced due to the lack of technical regulation, opening up opportunities for corruption.

Rector of Cendrawasih University, Bert Kambuaya, said the absence of regulations on the management of Papua’s special autonomy fund could serve as a trap that could put officials in jail.

Citing an example, he said Papua regents were directly elected by people, making people feel that as voters they had the right to ask for something in return.

“People come to the regents’ offices to ask for money. The regents then give the money [from the special autonomy fund]. This is a real situation in Papua,” Bert said.

“If what the regents do is considered as corruption based on the latest regulation, then all the regents could be incarcerated.

”We hope the 19 regulations can be immediately issued to ensure the special autonomy in Papua is fully implemented.”

Source: The Jakarta Post