Virtually 100 Percent of People in Papua Support NKRI: Govt

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law, and Security Mahfud MD on Monday claimed that nearly every person in Papua—or specifically 92 percent—had no issue with the concept of NKRI or the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

“Generally, over 90 percent of people or specifically 92 percent have no issue with the republic,” he said in a voice message shared by his coordinating ministry on May 3. 

The former chief the Constitutional Court (MK) said that defiance against NKRI was only held by members or affiliates of the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM), which the government has officially categorized as terrorist groups. 

Mahfud said the Indonesian government had constantly practiced an approach that put forth people’s welfare by issuing the Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No.9/2020 on accelerating the welfare in the provinces of Papua and West Papua, which was followed by the revision to the Law on Special Autonomy of Papua.

The draft revision to the law stated the government increased the general funds allocation from two percent to 2.25 percent. 

“But the violence committed by these small groups of people continue nevertheless, they continue killing people, burning down houses and planes, slitting people’s throats, doctors burned beside the street, and making videos that challenge and calls for war against the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) and the National Police (Polri).

Read: House Lawmakers Hold Plenary on Papua Special Autonomy

DEWI NURITA