Regional governments need guidance so that the special autonomy funds reach the target properly.
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Kompas/P Raditya Mahendra Yasa
Women, along with their children, haul firewood from nearby forests on Monday (29/1) in Agats district, Asmat regency, Papua. Papuan women play an important role in their families, from providing food, including processing sago and fishing, to nurturing the young.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Acting director general for Regional Development of the Home Ministry Diah Indrajati said that the health crisis in Asmat showed the importance of evaluating the implementation of special autonomy in Papua. One of the aspects that needs to evaluated is the use of the Papuan special autonomy funds, a considerable amount of which has been provided by the central government since 2002.
Diah was attending a discussion of the Merdeka Barat 9 Forum themed "Promoting Health and Welfare of the Papuan People", held Monday (29/1) at the Communication and Informatics Ministry, Jakarta.
According to Diah, based on the Home Ministry’s data, Rp 5.5 trillion in Papuan special autonomy funds was allocated in 2017. The funds were provided in addition to other funds for infrastructure, which amounted to Rp 2.4 trillion last year.
"The use of the special autonomy funds is stipulated by law that it must prioritize education and health. The special autonomy funds and the additional infrastructure funds increase from year to year," she said.
Diah further said that the Home Ministry had formed an internal team to evaluate the implementation of special autonomy in Papua. "It appears that there is a need for special guidance and approaches, so that the special autonomy funds can be utilized as much as possible for the needs of the Papuan people," she said.
Presidential Office Staff second deputy Yanuar Nugroho said that the extraordinary occurrence of the measles outbreak and malnutrition in Asmat could be just the tip of the iceberg of the health problem in Papua. Yanuar said that the problem that emerged in Asmat was related to the issues concerning regional governance. "Therefore, the central government needs to guide local governments in improving their capability," he said.
The health crisis management in Asmat regency could not stop merely with medical treatment, but also required long-term efforts to change lifestyle behaviors and environment hygiene. The absence of healthy lifestyle habits, coupled with an unclean environment, had the potential to cause various diseases.
This and other conditions could be found in Agats, the capital of Asmat regency. Kompas observed a slum on Monday near Dolok market. Children there bathe and play in the dirty river. The children have itchy skin conditions. The kampungs have limited play areas, as the land in the area is muddy.
Children were also seen eating rice along a sidewalk next to a dump. The rice was placed directly on a piece of board by the roadside; they did not haves any plates.
In another corner of Agats, other children played in a dump, searching for used items that could be used as toys. There were also children who lay in the street without any clothes. Meanwhile, mothers bathed their children in their living rooms.
Indications of an unhealthy lifestyle were also seen among the parents of patients being treated at Agats Regional General Hospital. The parents smoked cigarettes as they held their children on the hospital’s terrace. Children were also freely consuming instant noodles that their parents gave them.
In addition to the unhygienic lifestyle habits, the local environment was also unclean. Garbage littered residential areas. There were even those who dumped their garbage in their own yard.
Thorough management
Health Minister Nila F Moeloek said that the measles outbreak and malnutrition extraordinary occurrence in Asmat could not be resolved only through healthcare approaches, because the health issues were closely related to the region’s condition and spatial planning.
Social Affairs Minister Idrus Marham said that an integrated and thorough solution was needed to manage the measles outbreak and malnutrition extraordinary occurrence in Papua, covering healthy lifestyles and environmental hygiene, food supplies, infrastructure and governance.
Bishop of Asmat Aloysius Murwito said on Monday during his visit to the Kompas editorial offices that the humanitarian disaster in Papua needed long-term management. Following the emergency period, the government needed to continue to monitor conditions.
The medium- and long-term priority was to introduce means and methods for pursuing a healthy lifestyle. After this, infrastructure and communication networks needed to be developed. "There, supplies of clean water are minimal. Well water is gray. Telephone networks are also poor," he said.
Aloysius was accompanied on his visit by leading members of the Widya Cahaya Nusantara Foundation, which focuses on helping Papuan people. The delegation was received by Kompas chief editor Budiman Tanuredjo.
