...please continue to oversee so that the budget is not being misused or being corrupted.
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has invited the people of Papua to get involved in overseeing the realization of the government's spending on development projects in the region.

The central, provincial, as well as district/city governments spent Rp1,036 trillion (US$67.06 billion) on infrastructure development in Papua in the period from 2014 to 2022, he noted.

"This amount of money is very large; that is the reason I ask the people of Papua: please continue to oversee so that the budget is not being misused or being corrupted," he remarked while inaugurating the Papua Youth Creative Hub (PYCH) Building here on Tuesday.

The President said that corruption has hampered the realization of regional development throughout Indonesia, thus community supervision over the implementation of development projects is expected to prevent corruption.

The budget of Rp1,036 trillion was used for various development programs, including constructing the 3,462-kilometer (km) Trans Papua Road; 1,098 kilometers of roads in border areas; the 1.3-km Youtefa Bridge; Domine Eduard Osok Airport; as well as Wamena Airport, he informed.

Furthermore, the fund was also used to develop three cross-border posts (PLBN), namely PLBN Skouw, PLBN Sota, and PLBN Yetetkun, he said.

"We have completed all (of the infrastructure)," he added.

Widodo said he expects the infrastructure, including the PYCH Building, to improve the welfare of the Papuan people and advance their development.

In 2022, about 60 percent of the population of West Papua and Papua Provinces comprised people from the productive age who needed work opportunities, he noted.

The PYCH Building is expected to serve as a space for young Papuans to develop their interests and skills in arts and entertainment, making podcasts, photography, learning languages, coding and programming, marketing, sports, entrepreneurship, agriculture, as well as animal farming.

The building was developed with a budget of Rp105 billion (US$6.8 million) on a 1.5-hectare land and offers several facilities, including an exhibition hall, a theatre, a dormitory, and a sports field.

Its design was adapted from that of traditional homes in Jayapura and Wamena, namely the Kariwari House and the Honai House, respectively.

Related news: Papua Youth Creative Hub to be model for other regions: President
Related news: House forms committee to evaluate four new Papuan regions




Translator: Evarukdijati, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023