goodmorningpapua.com – Papua is one of the areas with the smallest percentage of the population in Indonesia, which is 3.17% of the total population of Indonesia. Infrastructure progress in Papua has not developed yet by the government, both central and regional governments. There is a development gap between public facilities built by the government and privately owned developments. This includes facilities in the education, tourism, economic and other sectors. In addition, the disparities are also seen in development in urban and rural areas.
The development of remote areas and underdeveloped villages has not been a priority for the government. Especially in Papua, development is more aimed at exploiting its very rich natural resources, including mining products and the exotic-considered natural beauty. These natural resources are exploited for commercial purposes and have not provided any benefit to the local community, and likely even cause losses.
But now, under the leadership of President Jokowi, the government has begun to concentrate development in the underdeveloped areas that have so far been under-explored or even unexplored, for example Papua. According to the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Mochamad Basoeki, the government has built infrastructure in Papua, including the construction of the 3,534 km Trans Papua road, 1,098 km Papua border road and the 1.3 km Youtefa bridge. In addition, the construction of the Papua Maju Stadium in Jayapura, in the context of the XX National Sports Week or PON Papua 2021.
The building of the Papua Bangkit Stadium in Jayapura shows significant advancement in infrastructure development in Papua. The existence of the Papua Bangkit Stadium is proof that the development carried out is not only for physical purposes, but also for the progress and social development of the Papuan people.
The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy said that the construction concept of the Papua Bangkit Stadium was Indonesia-centric, not Jakarta-centric or Java-centric. It can be interpreted that the development takes into account the characteristics of the local culture and emphasizes the uniqueness of Papua. Architecturally, it contains the concept according to the context in which the stadium was built.
In the next stage, development will continue to accommodate the concept of local wisdom to further advance Papua. In addition to building sports facilities, other efforts are also being made, namely by building access to public facilities that can improve people’s quality of life, such as roads to facilitate community mobility, hospitals and schools that are easily accessible to the community. These two sectors are important needs in improving the quality of life of the community, especially in the health and education fields.
One of the elements featuring Papuan culture in the architecture of the Papua Bangkit Stadium is the ornamentation on the facade of the stadium which is a typical Papuan pattern carving, in the form of a triangle installed around the stadium. From a building, the first thing that person sees and becomes an impression is the facade of the building. So, it is important to show these cultures and characteristics in the aspects mostly exposed to the eyes of stadium visitors.
In addition, the population in the city of Jayapura affects the capacity of the stadium. The detailed elements in the design of the Papua Bangkit Stadium are based on the conditions of Papua, including in nature, culture, and society. This confirms the statement that the construction of stadiums is Indonesia-centric and prioritizing equity to areas other than the central cities.
The development of infrastructure occurred in other areas, such as Java Island, brings about the people’s economy to be more enthusiastic. The economic development that continues to occur also improves the quality of life of its people for the better.
The Infrastructure development also needs to be carried out in Papua so that the local community can feel the distribution of development. This will improve the quality of life of the Papuan people. The existence of infrastructure development can make access to Papua easier, both socially, technically and financially.
As in Java, which has the advanced and growing road infrastructure and building construction, in Papua, these developments must also be presented. Thus, the people of Papua can more easily get needs that are currently still unaffordable. By increasing the welfare of the Papuan people, it can have a good impact on the integration and unity of the Indonesian nation.
There are so many benefits from advancing infrastructure development in Papua. Not only internally, but also externally. Externally, Papua has become well- known to the international people as part of Indonesia.
Internally, it can improve the economy and welfare of the Papuan people, as well as strengthen the unity and integration of the Indonesian nation. Therefore, it is important to continue to advance development. Not only in Papua, but also to all corners of Indonesia in an effort to evenly distribute infrastructure development.