Bamsoet on KKB in Papua: If they don't want to be embraced, just crush them

The division of territory in Papua from two provinces into five provinces is one of the government's efforts to accelerate development and improve the welfare of the people in Papua, Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo.

In an exclusive interview with VIVA on The Interview program in Jakarta, Saturday, July 30, 2022, Bambang Soesatyo explained that the division of the region is part of governance so that the state apparatus can directly touch the community.
 
"In the theory of constraint management, [regional expansion] will directly touch the community so that it can minimize the spaces for corruption," said Bamsoet, his nickname.
 
"Later on, the distribution of the Otsus Fund (Special Autonomy for Papua) or development funds will be more evenly distributed and it is hoped that the escalation of economic development will be faster," he added.

With the acceleration of development and improvement of welfare, he said, it is hoped that the potential for dissatisfaction that can trigger disturbances in public security and order can be reduced, such as the actions of armed criminal groups (KKB).

On the other hand, the government has also changed its approach to the KKB in Papua from being repressive to persuasive, for example the operating code changed from the Nemangkawi Task Force to the Cartenz Peace Task Force. According to him, this is an effort by the state to embrace militant groups in Papua so that they stop committing violence and start working together to realize the welfare of Papua.

"Essentially this soft power approach can be effective if the KKB attack is not brutal," he said, emphasizing. "But if this embracing approach doesn't work, or in other words, they don't want to be embraced, that's fine, just crush it.
 
The Deputy Chairperson of the Golkar Party reminded that he strongly calls for the apparatus not to compromise on the KKB in Papua in order to protect and prioritize the safety of the community. "And the state is responsible for their safety," he said.

SOURCE: https://www.viva.co.id/berita/politik/1511446-bamsoet-jual-kkb-di-papua-jika-they-tak-mau-dirangkul-tumpas-aja