goodmorningpapua.com – A Special Staff of the Minister of Finance for Strategic Communications, Yustinus Prastowo, explained in more detail about the Papua Special Autonomy Fund or Papua Autonomy Fund which was previously mentioned by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD.
In the period from 2002 to 2021, he stated that the Special Autonomy Fund and the Additional Infrastructure Fund (DTI) flowing to Papua reached IDR 138.65 trillion. Then Transfer to Regions and Village Funds or TKDD of IDR 702.30 trillion. Meanwhile, ministry/institutional expenditure funds amounted to IDR 251.29 trillion.
Thus, during this period, the central government’s fiscal support to Papua totaled IDR 1,092 trillion. “The government is trying to improve the welfare of Papua,” Prastowo tweeted.
The large allocation of funds, said Prastowo, shows the central government’s great concern for Papua. The TKDD per capita in Papua and West Papua, said Yustinus, is higher than in some regions. Papua and West Papua received transfers of IDR 14.7 million per resident and IDR 10.2 million per resident. The amount is greater than East Kalimantan at IDR 4.9 million, Aceh at IDR 6.4 million, and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) at IDR 4.2 million.
Therefore, Prastowo said it was important to evaluate the 20 years of the Special Autonomy Fund so that it could be renewed. The trick is to improve and strengthen accountable and transparent governance designs.
Furthermore, Prastowo said that the role of the Regional Internal Supervisory Apparatus or APIP which also involved the Development and Finance Supervisory Agency (BPKP) was very necessary. Plus the synergy between ministries/agencies related to the DTI proposal, as well as the effectiveness of monitoring and evaluating the use of the remaining Special Autonomy Fund.
The transparency of the data above, according to him, illustrates the great commitment of the government and the people to continue to maintain and supervise the management of funds in the regions in a more accountable manner. The support and attention of all these parties is needed for an increasingly transformative central and local financial governance.
Prastowo also hopes that this time can be a momentum to strengthen the government’s commitment to Papua, as well as to transform good governance. “Corruption is a common enemy. Do not let bad governance make people become victims. On the other hand, Papua must prosper and progress,” he said.
Two years ago, Mahfud MD also highlighted the same issue. “Because the funds for Papua are huge, but the elite there are corrupting them. The people don’t get any. We will arrange how,” said Mahfud in a statement uploaded to the official YouTube account of the Indonesian Polhukam, December 4, 2020.