President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has done more than any of his predecessors to build Papua and West Papua, the nation’s easternmost provinces that have long been plagued by extreme poverty and violent separatism.
Jokowi, who is seeking reelection in 2019, has sped up infrastructure development and implemented a policy of uniform fuel prices in the two provinces—where market prices for fuel would be much higher than in other regions —to boost the local economy and bring prosperity to Papuans.
The populist policies, however, have failed to put an end to the desire of some Papuans to be independent from Jakarta.
Mass killing
The region has seen increasing political violence in recent days, with the latest incident taking place on Sunday, when a rebel group led by Egianus Kogoya allegedly massacred at least 28 workers hired by state-owned construction firm Istaka Karya in Yigi district, Nduga regency, Papua.
The group, believed to be a faction of the National Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNPB), also killed an Indonesian Military (TNI) member and injured another.
The workers, mostly from South Sulwesi, were assigned to build a 275-kilometer section to connect Wamena and Mamugu, which is part of Jokowi’s signature trans-Papua road project.
Construction of the 4,300-km road through Papua and West Papua is expected to finish in 2019.
National Police and TNI personnel have been deployed to the location of the alleged massacre to verify the report and recover the bodies of victims, if a massacre did take place.
“Our duty and priority is to rescue those who are still alive and check if the number of victims reported in the media is correct,” National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. M. Iqbal said in Jakarta on Tuesday
