The Government of the Republic of Indonesia established a special autonomy policy for Papua Province through Law No. 35 of 2008. The enactment of the law was intended to promote the development and welfare of the people of Papua.
The law introduced several policies, including a fiscal policy under which Papua Province receives special funding. However, many have criticized the management of special autonomy funds as ineffective and lacking transparency. As a result, the policy has had limited impact on reducing poverty. This issue prompted Edy Purwito to write his dissertation entitled “Regulation of Poverty Alleviation in the Era of Special Autonomy in Papua Province.”
The former Chair and lecturer of the School of Law (STIH) Umel Mandiri Jayapura successfully earned his doctoral degree from the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), on Saturday (19/11). He received a satisfactory distinction after completing the question-and-answer session of his doctoral promotion examination in Room 311, FH UGM.
The examination lasted approximately two hours and was chaired by Prof. Dr. Sigit Riyanto, S.H., LL.M. The examination panel consisted of Prof. Dr. Nurhasan Ismail, S.H., M.Si.; Prof. Dr. Agus Pramusinto, MDA., lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UGM; Prof. Dr. Ni’matul Huda, S.H., M.Hum., lecturer at Universitas Islam Indonesia; Prof. Dr. Ari Hernawan, S.H., M.Hum.; Dr. Sulastriyono, S.H., M.Si.; Dr. Djoko Sukisno, S.H., C.N.; and Prof. Dr. Enny Nurbaningsih, S.H., M.Hum., as co-promotor.
During the question-and-answer session, Prof. Dr. Agus Pramusinto, MDA., asked the promovendus about the central issue examined in his dissertation. The lecturer from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UGM, asked, “Is the problem with the regulation or its implementation of Special Autonomy?” The promovendus explained that both aspects presented challenges. He argued that the government had not fully understood what should constitute the substance of special autonomy, while the policy had also not been implemented consistently or transparently. (Fitri Isni Ridha)
