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Jokowi’s 9-year reign does not amount to much for Papua
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo takes a selfie with residents welcoming him to Wamena, Papua, on Oct. 28, 2019. (Indonesian Presidential Palace/AFP/-)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo promised a more even economic development throughout the country prior to assuming office, but data suggest Indonesia’s easternmost provinces are still left behind.
Nine years into Jokowi’s tenure and with one year left to go, Papua, a region of immense potential thanks to its abundant natural resources, continues to rank below the rest of the country in several ways.
The easternmost region of the country, which today comprises six provinces of Papua and two of Maluku, accounted for just 2.5 percent of national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
While that marks an increase from 2.2 percent in 2014, the year Jokowi’s administration got to work, it still leaves the region, which is four times the territory of Java, relatively underdeveloped.
In terms of GDP per capita, the Papua region exceeds several Javanese provinces, such as Central Java and West Java.
Western Papua (the provinces of West Papua and Southwest Papua), home to the massive Tangguh gas project and renowned tourist destination Raja Ampat, logs significantly higher per-capita GDP than the national average. The same was true until 2018 for the rest of Papua (which was a province unto itself before being subdivided into four provinces last year).
