Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – Home Minister Tito Karnavian said the regional budget (APBD) for Papua and West Papua were among the highest in the country yet it had not improved the lives of indigenous Papuans.
The two provinces are in the top 10 provinces with the largest regional budget in Indonesia, ranked below Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Central Java, and Aceh.
“The regional budget for Papua and West Papua are among the 10 largest in Indonesia but the implementation are not optimal that it has not provided a significant impact on the lives of Indigenous Papuans,” Karnavian said on Thursday, June 17, 2021.
Karnavian highlighted the low figure of the Human Development Index (HDI) in several areas in Papua. “The HDI is still low in some regions. Even West Papua is better than Papua at several indicators,” he said.
Karnavian further revealed that the unused funds (SILPA) of the Special Autonomy Fund and Papua and West Papua additional infrastructure funds were still high. From 2013 to 2019, the unused funds for Papua amounted to Rp 6.4 trillion (US$ 448 million), while West Papua’s Rp 2.4 trillion. According to Karnavian, the large number of unused funds showed the need to improve financial management.
On the other hand, the House of Representatives is deliberating a draft bill on the Special Autonomy Law revision. One of the focuses of the revision is to increase the special funds from 2 percent to 2.25 percent. However, the Papuan People’s Assembly and Papua Legislative Council deemed the additional funds not urgent and would be in vain without the discretion of the local governments.
