Kompas –
February 14, 2009
Jakarta –
The slow pace of development in Papua 12 years after the implementation of
special autonomy has lead observers to believe that a reevaluation of the
special autonomy law is needed. They believe that the stipulations enacted in
the 2001 law have lost their spirit, namely bringing prosperity to the Papuan
people.
Speaking in
Jakarta on Thursday February 12, Poengky Indarti from Indonesian Human Rights
Watch (Imparsial) said that between 2005 and 2009 Papua’s human development
index has been in 33rd position out of the 33 provinces in Indonesia. “Yet,
every year funds are poured into Papua in amounts reaching the trillions of
rupiah”, he said.
Data
gathered by Fransiskan International show that in 2004 as many as 80 percent of
the indigenous Papuan population was living in poverty. In addition to this, as
many as 36.1 percent of the population have no access to healthcare facilities.
It appears
that the massive exploitation of Papua’s natural resources has not had any
significant impact on the progress or prosperity of the Papuan people.
This still
does not include the many cases of human rights violations against the Papuan
people that are yet to be resolved.
Quoting from
a statement by a Papuan figure, Indarti said, “Waiting for justice to come from
the central government is like boiling a rock”.
The
situation has also been aggravated by the weak role played by the Papua
People’s Council. (JOS)
[Translated
by James Balowski.]
