Southwest Papua Province was established along with three other new autonomous regions in Indonesia’s easternmost province Papua as an effort to accelerate equitable distribution of development and welfare of the Papuan people.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Tito Karnavian on behalf of Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated Southwest Papua Province as a new province in the country, at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Jakarta, on Friday (Dec. 9), so Indonesia now has 38 provinces.

“By the grace of God Almighty, today, Friday, December 9, 2022, located in Jakarta, I am the Minister of Home Affairs on behalf of the President of the Republic of Indonesia hereby inaugurate the Southwest Papua Province based on Law Number 29 of 2022," Tito said.

The formation of the Southwest Papua Province along with the other three new autonomous regions in Papua is part of an effort to accelerate equitable distribution of development and welfare of the Papuan people.

“Our hope is that the Southwest Papua Province will once again accelerate development in Papua for the welfare of the Papuan people, including and especially indigenous Papuans, and of course the other residents there," said Tito.

“It is hoped that the establishment of Southwest Papua Province will also shorten the bureaucracy," the minister said.

The formation and inauguration of the new province, continued the minister, was also carried out based on the aspirations of the people of Papua.

“This aspiration was captured and then submitted to the House of Representatives (DPR RI) and the executive government. Then on the initiative of the DPR RI, three new provinces have previously been accommodated in Papua, namely South Papua Province, Papua Pegunungan province and Central Papua Province, and then now Southwest Papua," he said.

Previously, Tito had appointed three acting governors - Apolo Safanpo as Acting Governor of South Papua, Rebekah Haluk as Acting Governor of Central Papua, and Nikolaus Kondomo as Acting Governor of Papua Pegunungan.

The three acting governors have backgrounds in academics and government officials.

Apolo Safanpo is the Rector of Cenderawasih University (Uncen), Ribka Haluk is the Head of the Office of Social Affairs, Population, Women's Empowerment and Child Protection at the Provincial Government of Papua, while Nikolaus Kondomo is the Head of the Papua High Prosecutor's Office.

The draft law for the establishment of a new province in Papua was passed at a plenary session at the DPR RI on 17 November 2022. Then the bill was ratified to become Law (UU) Number 29 of 2022.

Reporting by Indonesia Window