Why a chief tribe in Papua supports special autonomy?

SKANTO- KEEROM– Inauguration of Wie and Khaya War Chiefs who oversees 7 Large Tribes in Skanto District, Keerom District, Mr. Herman Albert Tuaibigy Yoku, at the Skanto Village Skanto, Keerom District, Tuesday / 28/7/2020.

At the inauguration ceremony, Mr. Herman Albert Tuaibigy Yoku said that, the Skanto community supported the continuation of Special Autonomy (Otsus) in Papua for sustainable development.

“I hope that my statement can be heard by respected gentlemen of the Regent, Deputy Regent, DPR and all staff so that they can work with their hearts so that the community can be touched well” he concluded.

He continued, we support the continuation of special autonomy, with the hope of changing regulations, the political rights of the Papuans will be restored, they want to be masters on their own land, and open accounts, give them ATMs because the people want to receive Otsus funds directly in the Bank, then the suffering of the people has demanded independence.

Additional Notes

The Papua Province region consists of several districts, one of which is the Keerom Regency with its capital in Arso. Demographically, Keerom Regency is one of the settlements of the Wiekaya or Wie and Khaya tribe in Papua Province. In the 1970s, this region was still included in the administrative region of Jayapura. This area was expanded into a new district in the 2000s.

Keerom is one of the district in Papua that has a process of acculturation between migrants (Javanese, Bugis, Makassarese, etc.) and indigenous people (Wiekaya tribes) for a long time. Social interaction between indigenous people and migrants runs harmoniously. This triggered good economic growth, so that the modernization process in the Arso area was inevitable.

It is not a surprise that chief Herman Albert Tuaibigy Yoku supports special autonomy because special autonomy’s four major principles: (1) greater authority for the local government; (2) recognition and respect for the basic rights of the Indigenous West Papuans; (3) accommodation of broader participation by the indigenous West Papuans in good governance, transparency, and accountability; and (4) protection and enforcement of human rights, with no exceptions or discrimination, based on equality.

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