Local leaders and students have spoken out against the high number of deaths from starvation in Yahukimo, Papua, claiming the central government is not doing enough to prevent the deaths.
Ninety-two people died from starvation in Yahukimo from January to August this year. The high rate has occurred at a time when Papua has special autonomy and trillions of rupiah has been directed at the province for development and welfare programs for native Papuans.
"As a native Papuan, I am very ashamed and saddened that death from starvation in Yahukimo continues to this day, despite the fact that during the food shortage in 2005 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono dispatched a team to encourage development in the area. That program no longer exists. What is the government in Jakarta doing that has caused people to die from starvation?" Fadal Al Hamid, a traditional Papuan community leader, told The Jakarta Post in Jayapura.
According to Fadal, the tragedy showed the government had never prioritized the welfare of Papuan people. "The government apparently does not have a development program that immediately touches the lives of people, evident from the starvation that has lead to dozens of deaths," he said.
The rate of death from starvation in Yahukimo, which has been attributed to harvest failure due to poor weather, according to Fadal, is not a new issue because the weather is bad every year.
Markus Haluk, the secretary-general of the Pergunungan Tengah Indonesia Students Alliance (AMPTI) expressed similar sentiments.
"Papua has been provided with a lot of money, such as special autonomy funds, PT Freeport royalty funds and funds from the state and provincial budgets, but why are none of the development programs carried out to prevent deaths from starvation in the Pegunungan area? I'm ashamed that Papuans have died of starvation," Markus told the Post.
Markus added the provincial administration had always announced the poverty rate in Papua to obtain funds, but starvation continued to cause deaths.
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