VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo received a number of prominent figures from Papua and West Papua on Tuesday afternoon at the Jakarta State Palace. During the meeting, the figures led by Jayapura City Regional House of Representatives Chairman Abisai Rollo submitted a number of requests to the President. One of the requests mentioned by Abisai Rollo to the President was a request that the President build the Presidential Palace in Papua. Abisai Rollo said that the Papuan people were ready to give up 10 hectares of land to the President to be used as the Presidential Palace. Regarding this matter, President Joko Widodo briefly whispered to the Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security, Wiranto who also attended the meeting. After whispering Wiranto, President Joko Widodo also agreed to a request to build the Presidential Palace in Jayapura.

“Regarding the presidential palace. The most difficult one is providing the land. The land has been provided, right? 10 hectares for free? Ten hectares, right? Already available? Ooh it belongs to Abisai Rollo. Today de facto the land has been submitted. I whisper first with the ministers so that I would not take a wrong decision. I'll talk later, we don’t have the money now. So the palace will start to build next year,” said Joko Widodo.

In addition to requesting to build the Presidential Palace in Jayapura, there were a number of other requests proposed by leaders of Papua and West Papua when meeting with the President at the State Palace. The request is the division of the 5 (five) indigenous territories in Papua and West Papua, the establishment of the National Land Affairs Agency for Papua, the placement of echelon 1 and 2 officials in the ministries and institutions as well as the development of the Nusantara Dormitory throughout the region including security guarantees for Papuan students. In addition, the leaders of Papua and West Papua also requested the Revision of the Special Autonomy Law, the issuance of a Presidential Instruction (Inpres) for the honorary appointment of the Papuan Civil Apparatus and the acceleration of the construction of the East Palapa Ring Satellite. (VOI/ANDY/AHM)