jg specialautonomy 1583957874

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud M.D., at his ministry's headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday. (JG Photo/Diana Mariska)
BY :DIANA MARISKA

MARCH 12, 2020

Jakarta. Indonesia's chief security minister Mahfud M.D. said the government would continue to provide a special autonomy fund for Papua while preparing a new law to extend it.

The 2001 Law on special autonomy in Papua will expire in November 2021, and the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud M.D., said the government had started preparing a new law to replace it.

On Wednesday, several ministries including the Home Affairs Ministry discussed the special autonomy fund and a plan to open up more provinces in the region – two of the mandates of the 2001 Law.
Mahfud said the government had already agreed to continue providing the special autonomy fund and started the process to create a new law to give it a legal basis.

"We need to create a new law because the old one will expire in November next year," Mahfud said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to Mahfud, the new law will contain provisions to allow the central government to monitor local government spending more closely.

"The new system will be more integrated. The central government will guide local spending," Mahfud said.
"The central government shouldn't just pour out the money, and the local government shouldn't spend it willy-nilly. Both have to take on more responsibility to make sure the money goes to those who need it," he said.

The minister also said several options for the new provinces are already being considered by the government but that any detail would have to come from the Home Affairs Minister, Tito Karnavian.

"The Home Affairs Minister will explain how many provinces there will be in Papua according to the new law," Mahfud said.