Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Officials in Indonesia’s Papua province told by Governor to work hard for people

Posted at 21:59 on 22 February, 2008 UTC

The Governor of Papua in Indonesia has told regents and mayors in the province that territorial isolation is not an excuse for a lack of social welfare and development programs.

The Jakarta Post newspaper that Barnabas Suebu told regents and mayors from across Papua at a meeting in Jayapura this week that poverty and other social problems cannot be blamed on the region’s isolation.

Governor Suebu says that, given their capacities, provincial leaders could make Papua better by improving the welfare of residents and the services available to them.

He reminded the leaders that success is achieved through hard work.

The Governor pointed out that other Indonesian provinces are able to elevate welfare more than Papua which has a far higher budget.

The central government has allocated 36 million US dollars for infrastructure development to improve accessibility throughout Papua.