JAYAPURA, Papua: The governor of Papua, fresh off a tour of remote villages, said past development efforts have failed to lift the majority of rural Papuans out of poverty.
Governor Barnabas Suebu, who visited villages in Supiori, Biak Numfor and Waropen regencies during his two-week tour, said more than 80 percent of people in rural areas were living in absolute poverty.
He said the impression he received during his visits to the villages was that most of the people were unable to fend for themselves, resulting in local administrations being overwhelmed by aid requests.
Suebu said the standard of education in rural areas was far below that in urban areas.
Many schools have just one or two teachers, which means the quality of education and the attention students receive is lacking.
He said there were cases of students graduating high school and moving on to Cenderwasih University, but still being unable to write.
Health and nutrition are also major concerns in more remote areas of the province.
"That's why we need a program that directly involves people in the villages in order to improve their standard of living," said Suebu.
He said considering Papua's natural wealth, which the governor likened to a "sleeping giant", it was incomprehensible that so many residents were living in poverty.
"The people are sleeping on mountains full of gold and when they die they are buried in earth filled with gold, but they have never benefit from it. Why is this? What has gone wrong? We must answer these questions."
The provincial administration is making efforts to address this problem through its Rural Development Strategic Plan, or Respek.
It will allocate funds from its annual budget for the program, which is designed to bring development to previously untouched areas.
Suebu said development must begin in rural areas for a prosperous Papua.
He said part of the program is dedicated to tracking true conditions in rural areas, which will help the administration pinpoint needs and problems, and address them more effectively.
The provincial administration will provide each village with Rp 100 million (approximately US$11,100) this year.
Source : www.thejakartapost.com
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