The implementation of the XX PON in Papua has been completed, but the resonance of the spirit and euphoria is still felt today and in the future. One of them is the viral song “The Spirit of Papua” by Director Alffy Rev sung by Nowela Mikhelia. As a Papuan woman, Nowela is proud to sing the song The Spirit of Papua. For Nowela, the song gives a sense of pride because the land of Papua is packaged and described so beautifully and deeply.
“My land of pride. It breaks my heart when I know that this is a work that came out spontaneously without any preparation. Alffy said, because it was a ‘call’ to voice the overflow of the hidden spirit in Papua. Edo Kondologit cried, because he did not imagine that Papua could be packaged so beautifully,” said Nowela in a webinar entitled ‘The Spirit of Papua: Indonesian Cultural and National Identity’, Wednesday (27/10/2021).
Besides Nowela, this webinar was attended by speakers, Deputy Chairperson of the MPR, Jazilul Fawaid and Special Staff of the Vice President, Masykuri Abdillah.
Therefore, Nowela invites the younger generation of Papua to continue working in their respective fields. “As an artist, I try to promote Papua through the Youtube channel. Let’s be smart young people who are not provoked by many issues,” added the winner of Indonesia Idol.
Nowela admitted that she was very sad about the violence in Papua by the KKB. KKB are native Papuans but do not represent all Papuans. According to her, KKB has hurt the hearts of Papuans and KKB and Papuans are very different things. KKB is a person because Papuans are peace-loving and sincere people.
“Whatever has been experienced and enjoyed in Papua is interference from Indonesia. I am proud that Mr. Jokowi inaugurated the milestone of the Youtefa Bridge because it connects the main area of Jayapura City with the Muara Tami District. With the bridge, transportation becomes easier and the economy runs smoother. I am proud to be Papuan and proud to be Indonesian,” she said.
“Indonesia really loves Papuan people. There are so many doors that are opened like scholarships. Let’s do what we can do from small things starting from ourselves. Indonesia is like a family and Jokowi is our parent,” she added.
The same thing was conveyed by the Deputy Chair of the MPR, Jazilul Fawaid who said that the government’s policy towards Papua was extraordinary. Although, said Jazilul, it needs to be improved by taking a closer approach to Papuan culture.
“My hope is that the empowerment of Papua must be close to the culture of the Papuan people. Papua has a unique culture and origin compared to other tribes, this uniqueness has received international recognition such as noken. Therefore, it is not only a cultural approach to Papua, but it is necessary to continue with diplomacy related to Papua in the international world, because Papua is also rich in natural resources. Diplomacy is very important because Papua often gets sympathy from the international community. Diplomacy related to Papua must also be adjusted to ward off jealousy and the perception of central exploitation of the region, “explained Jazilul during the webinar.
According to him, the Papuan issue cannot be solved with a security approach alone, but must be resolved with a cultural approach. He gave an example of efforts to maximize the role of religious leaders such as priests to embrace people in rural areas. “Papuans in villages tend to respect religious leaders more than local officials,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Special Staff of the Vice President, Masykuri Abdillah emphasized that in the era of President Jokowi, the approach to Papua was carried out through dialogue and affirmative action, which gave a lot of specificity to Papua. Masykuri admitted that in its implementation the Special Autonomy funds had not been used optimally because the control mechanism was not sufficient. Therefore, he said, assistance was carried out in the use of Otsus Volume II funds so that it was more effective.
“The current government’s theme is accelerating development with a focus on improving welfare. Especially in Otsus Volume II, the government is trying to involve the younger generation because there is still a small group of young people who don’t feel like Indonesia. In 2021 the government has appointed 1,000 Papuan children to work in state-owned companies outside Papua,” explained the professor at UIN Jakarta.
Masykuri, who is a team to accelerate Papua’s development, said there is a new strategy in overcoming conflict in Papua, namely dialogue with local champions. With this strategy, he said, the dialogue involves figures from various circles, such as religious, traditional, youth, women, universities, artists, and other figures who have an influence on the Papuan people to overcome conflict.
According to him, in an effort to overcome the conflict in Papua, there is a new strategy that is applied, namely dialogue with local champions, consisting of figures from various circles, such as religious, customary, youth, women, universities, artists, and other figures who have an influence on the people of Papua, so that the slogan ‘people can’ really be realized.
“Because the most important thing is how the people of Papua (and West Papua) can immediately prosper. We want the slogan ‘people can’ really come true,” said Masykuri.
No responses yet