Jessi Carina, Jakarta – Southwest Papua Senator Paul Finsen Mayor interrupted a Regional Representatives Council (DPD) plenary meeting in Jakarta to voice the Papuan people's opposition of the establishment of new territorial development battalions in the region.
He emphasised that the main need of the Papuan people is not Army bases, but basic facilities such as education and health.
"If what's brought in are agricultural or plantation battalions. Papuans need schools and hospitals, not Army headquarters", said Mayor at the plenary meeting on Wednesday January 14.
Mayor reminded the meeting that Papua is a special autonomous region. Therefore, education and health issues should be a top priority in every development policy.
"This is important, because under our special autonomy, the main issues we discussed first were education and health", he explained.
Mayor also conveyed the aspirations of the Papuan indigenous people who reject the government's plan to establish palm oil plantation in Bumi Cenderawasih as Papua is known.
"Leaders, the indigenous people in Papua reject the discourse on palm oil in Papua". explained Mayor displaying various input he has received from the public.
He also asked DPD Chairperson Sultan B Najamuddin and other DPD leaders to forward these aspirations to President Prabowo Subianto and the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia.
"So later convey to Pak [Mr] Prabowo and Bahlil to stop these goods [being produced] because Papuans don't like it", he concluded.
Responding to the interruption, Najamuddin stated that they would accommodate all input submitted by the senator. He also said that the DPD would try to convey these aspirations directly to the President.
"So we are currently looking for a meeting schedule, including with the Pak President at a consultation meeting to convey the same thing", he concluded.
As has been reported previously, President Prabowo expressed his hope that new palm oil plantations will be established as part of national energy self-sufficiency efforts.
"And later we also hope that in the Papua region oil palm should also be planted so that we can also produce fuel from palm oil", said Prabowo when giving a briefing at a meeting to accelerate Papua's development at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday December 16, 2025.
Aside from palm oil, Prabowo is also encouraging the planting of sugar cane and cassava in Papua to produce ethanol.
He is targeting that in the next five years all regions in Indonesia, including Papua, can achieve food self-sufficiency and energy self-sufficiency.
"Also, sugar cane produces ethanol, cassava also produces ethanol so that we plan that in five years all regions can stand on their own feet and be self-sufficient in food and energy self-sufficient", said Prabowo.
The head of state emphasised that energy use in Papua must provide direct benefits to local communities. He also encouraged the optimisation of the utilisation of solar and hydropower in the Papua region.
"This is all so that there is independence in each region. If there is solar and hydropower, there is no need to send expensive fuel from other regions", said Prabowo.
According to Prabowo, if every region is able to become energy self-sufficient, Indonesia could save hundreds of trillions of rupiah every year because it would no longer depend on imported fuel (BBM).
"This year every year we issue regulations on trillions for fuel imports. If we can plant oil palms, plant cassava, plant sugar, use solar and hydropower, imagine how many hundreds of trillions we can save every year", he said.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Senator Interupsi Rapat Paripurna DPD RI: Papua Butuh Sekolah dan RS, Bukan Markas Tentara".]
