West Papuans: Thanks to the New Autonomous Regions, Papuans Have 3 New Provinces, Free Schooling, and Medical Programs for 3.9 Million People!

Good news! The 3.9 million people of Papua cheered happily because the 20-year fight for the expansion of the territory would soon be realized. At the end of October 2022, 3 new provinces, South Papua Province, Central Papua, and Central Mountains Province, will be officially approved. This is true Papuan independence: being able to go to school, receive free medical care, and benefit from massive development made by, for, and by native Papuans!

Amos Wanggai

Chairman of the Regional Board of the Papuan Student Unit

The new autonomous regions are a solution to equalizing Papua with other Indonesian areas. We must be grateful that establishing a new autonomy is a step toward developing Papua for the welfare of the people.

Paid off! The struggle of 56,000 people of Mepago and 2,500 people of Wamena (1/6) who have held many demonstrations and raised their voices in the street (1/6) asking if the regional development program will come true! As the Papuan-born Deputy Minister of Home Affairs for Indonesia, Wempi Wetipo is moved and proud to be able to fight with other Papuans for the new autonomous regions.

JOHN WEMPI WETIPO

Papuan Native Deputy Minister of Home Affairs of Indonesia

Even the students and citizens who took to the streets That’s what they hoped for. That there is a change that really can happen. The enthusiasm of the citizens is so extraordinary!

The Papuan people are fighting to become the leaders in their land through the new autonomous regions! Around 3.9 million Papuans in remote and urban areas of Papua fight to get free treatment at 13,600 health centers and 60 hospitals. Papuan Natives (OAP) fight so their children can go to a free school in 10,000 schools in West Papua! The new autonomous regions of, by, and for the people of West Papua!

1. Papuans Fighting for Free Education for Papuan Children Through Special Autonomy and The New Autonomous!

This is real independence for the Indigenous Papuans! Sending 615 Native Papuan children to study for free at the Unaim Yapis Wamena Scientific Amal University through the Special Autonomy’s scholarship program! Now that there are 3 new provinces, the number of scholarships will go up, and more and more Papuan children will be ready to become leaders in the future.

There will also be more Papuan children following the 2,000 Papuan students who study in England, the United States, and New Zealand using scholarships from the Special Autonomy Fund! Papuans want the Papuan Natives’ (OAP) children to learn from developed countries, go back to Papua and be a leader in Papua!

The Papuan people have worked hard for 20 years so that their children can get medical scholarships and go back to their hometown! After the new autonomous regions, hundreds of hospitals and health centers needed a lot of doctors and nurses! It’s time for Papuan Natives (OAP) to be a leader in their land!

2. Papuan People Fighting to Become the Leaders in Their Land, 80 Percent of Civil Servants Must be Papuans!

The Papuan people have been fighting for 21 years so that Native Papuans (OAP) have the guarantee to become leaders in their land! Now, through Special Autonomy and the new autonomous regions, the Indigenous Papuans have a big chance to be the masters of their land and to become the leaders of the country, starting with the governors, deputy governors, and mayors, and 80% of the People’s Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR)’s quota must be filled by Papuan Natives (OAP) who will make policies from, by, and for the people of Papua in the future!

John Wempi Wetipo

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs

“At first, South Papua only got 6 seats; now there are 35 DPR seats (for) South Papua province, that means (the opportunity) to win is wide open. The Special Autonomy seat positions are for Native Papuans, who are given 25 percent of the 35 seats in the DPR for South Papua Province. Special Autonomy also gave Native Papuans (OAP) 8 allotted seats. This is already extraordinary.”

This is the time for Native Papuans (OAP) leaders to answer the rights and desires of the Papuan people! The Native Papuans (OAP) leaders can build more schools, hospitals, and health centers so that 3.9 million Papuans who live in remote areas can get treatment and go to school for free. The new autonomous regions are hoping for the Papuans!

Look at how the leader of the Native Papuans (OAP), DPR’s member Robert Joppy Kardinal, has created the Smart Indonesia Program (PIP) and the KIP-Kuliah Program for 13,911 Papuan youths who study for free at various state universities in Indonesia! The Special Autonomy guarantees the right to free education for the Papuan people!

The fight of the Papuan people to lead their region will soon be realized! 3 new provinces, South Papua Province, Central Papua, and Central Mountains Province, will be led by 3 pairs of governors and deputy governors of Native Papuans (OAP)! This is the time for the Papuan people to create their development program!

Marthen Kogoya

Head of Regional Staffing Agency (BKD) of Papua

“As the parent province, we will certainly prioritize Native Papuans (OAP).”

3. Papuans Can Create More Religious and Cultural Education Programs!

Native Papuans (OAP) are fighting for a specific budget for religious and cultural programs!

Thanks to the new autonomous regions, every province in Papua can put 6% of its special autonomy funds toward religious and customary budgets. So, about IDR 7 billion is spent each year on Papua’s 80 religious and traditional organizations.

Through the new autonomous regions, Native Papuans (OAP) can preserve their culture and create programs, such as the Indigenous Peoples Congress of the Archipelago (KMAN), which will be held on October 24–30. This is proof of the success of the new autonomous regions in Papua!

The Papuan people fight through the new autonomous regions so their children can go to school for free. Indigenous Papuans are now leading their area, customary institutions have a particular budget, and 3.9 million Papuans can get free treatment. Directly, the 21-year fight has paid off with the inauguration of 3 new Papua Provinces at the end of October!