The development of infrastructure in Papua and West Papua is accelerating rapidly under President Joko Widodo leadership. President Jokowi has slowly kept his promise when he first elected in 2014 to develop eastern Indonesia, especially Papua, to improve the access and connectivity.
President Jokowi is known to have visited Papua and West Papua at least 12 times since his inauguration.This happened because the former Governor of DKI Jakarta wanted to know immediately about the problems in the field.
His habit of walking around or called ‘blusukan’ was also practiced on the Earth of Cendrawasih. In fact, in May 2017, Jokowi tried Transpapua Road on a dirt bike in the Wamenamamugu 1 section.
Providing infrastructure, especially Papua roads, is not an easy task, according to the PUPR Ministry of Highways. But even this effort is not impossible. Construction of roads up to thousands of kilometers is expected to revive the economy of the Papua people.
When building roads and bridges in Papua, the government should also ignore the return on investment aspect. Ministry of PUPR has allocated a budget of up to IDR 9.79 trillion for Papua and West Papua infrastructure development in 2021.
Development in Papua and West Papua under Jokowi Leadership
Here are some of Papua’s infrastructure development during President Jokowi’s time, sumerized from several sources:
1. Construction of the Trans Papua Road
The Trans Papua Road with a total length of 3,462 km continues to accelerate. The 16 km road will be impassable by mid-2021. This construction is considered one of President Joko Widodo’s Nawacita programs.
In 2017, West Papua‘s Transpapua Road Segment I, especially the Sorong Kambuaya Manokwari section, was connected over 594.81 km (km).
2. Access to PONXX There are eight sports facilities, one of which is the international standard Papua Bankit Stadium.
3. Utefa Bridge The Utefa Bridge is a new landmark in Jayapura. It was built on May 9, 2015 and opened by President Joko Widodo on October 28, 2019.
The name Utefa was used as the name of the bridge at the request of the indigenous people, depending on the location over the Utefa Bay. This bridge was formerly known as the Holtekamp Bridge.
4. Paraparing fiber optic cable Paraparing is a national fiber optic development project. This project is divided into three areas: West Paraparing, Central Paraparing, and East Paraparing.
The total length of the paraparing submarine cable is currently 12,148 kilometers, of which 7,862 kilometers were built at sea.
5.1 Price fuel policy In addition to infrastructure, President Jokowi also implemented a “one-price fuel” policy. This policy is a concrete expression of Indonesia’s energy distribution.
Previously, there were differences in fuel prices between Papua and outside Papua, and between undeveloped borders and the outermost regions (3T). That is why the government is pursuing equality through the One Price BBM program.
PON XX Papua Becomes Evidence of Infrastructure Readiness in Papua
The splendor and hegemony of PON XX Papua shows the readiness of adequate infrastructure facilities. Ministry of PUPR is the one who is responsible for the development of the infrastructure facilities that support the XX Papua PON event.
John Wempi Wetipo, the Deputy Minister of PUPR said, despite being hampered by the pandemic, the Ministry of PUPR has tried and succeeded in ensuring the readiness of infrastructure in Papua and West Papua to support the implementation of the XX Papua PON this year.
Several infrastructures that has been build such as the asphalt roads, Youtefa Bridge, State Border Post (PLBN), and sports venues. So it is hoped that PON athletes can witness firsthand that development in Papua is not inferior to other provinces.
In order to support the implementation of the XX Papua PON, the Ministry of PUPR has built 7 sports venues, including the Aquatic arena and Istora Papua Bangkit in Harapan Village, East Sentani District.
Then, the Hockey Field and Cricket arena both indoor and outdoor in Kampung Doyo Baru, Waibu District. Also, three other venues, such as the the Rowing arena above Youtefa Bay, Roller Skate arena in the Waena Campground area, and the Archery arena in Harapan Village, East Sentani District.
The Government is also Building Connectivity Infrastructure
In addition to the construction of these sports facilities, the government has also built various other infrastructures. Includes a connectivity infrastructure to promote accessibility and mobility in Papua and West Papua.
For example, the construction of the Telaga Ria–Khalkote–Dapur Papua road in Jayapura Regency along 5.16 km, the improvement of the Merauke–Kuprik–Tanah Miring road along 7.36 km to support motor racing activities in Merauke Regency.
Furthermore, supporting infrastructure facilities such as drainage and sanitation, construction of 6 (six) flats for athletes’ homestays in Jayapura City, Jayapura Regency, and Merauke Regency. In addition, the Sota integrated PLBN of the Merauke Regency, which was launched on Sunday (March 20, 2021) by President Jokowi.
Skouw PLBN, the second PLBN in Papua. John added that the completion of Papua’s various infrastructures is inseparable from the support and will of local governments and the Papuans.
So that the east part of Indonesia can rise from the global pandemic condition and change for the better. The enthusiasm of the local government and Papuans themselves has encouraged the acceleration of development in Papua and West Papua.
