Indonesia’s Presidential Chief of Staff, Moeldoko, has expressed his appreciation for the crucial role played by Christian church leaders in supporting the government’s development programs in Papua. Speaking during a meeting with representatives of the Protestant Church Synod in Papua, Moeldoko praised the pastors for their tireless efforts to improve the region’s economic, educational, and health sectors, emphasizing that their influence is key to maintaining stability in the province. The religious leaders, in turn, urged the government to involve them more actively in the development process and to address some of the challenges facing church-run schools in the region.
“The government needs the role of pastors from synods to be a lever for growth in the economic, educational, and health sectors in Papua. Pastors are the center of public trust. The people believe and trust pastors and religious leaders,” said Moeldoko during a meeting with a number of representatives from the Synod of the Indonesian Protestant Church in Papua (GPI Papua) at the Bina Graha Building, Jakarta, on Wednesday (22/2).
“The advantage of our pastors is that they not only teach religion but also care about issues related to education, health, and people’s economy. On behalf of the Indonesian government, I would like to thank the pastors who continue to support the government despite their limitations,” added Moeldoko.
Representatives from the GPI Papua Synod have raised concerns over policies that have impacted educational institutions during their meeting with the Chief of Presidential Staff. The withdrawal of teachers who have passed the PPPK selection to state schools has resulted in a shortage of teachers in private schools, particularly those affiliated with the church. This has disrupted the teaching and learning process, affecting students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who attend church-built schools in Papua.
“Most schools in Papua are private and built by churches. Children who attend these church foundation schools come from villages with economically disadvantaged conditions. So we hope that the government pays special attention to these schools, primarily from church foundations, so that we are assisted in the teacher recruitment process,” said a GPI Papua representative in the Merauke region, Pastor Soleman Jambormias.
The pastors didn’t stop there, as they also shed light on the dire state of road infrastructure and the scarcity of healthcare facilities in the Merauke-Papua New Guinea border area.
Moved by their concerns, Moeldoko swiftly assured them of his commitment to act upon the issue by liaising with the relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemdikbud), the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), and the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration. With the Chief of Presidential Staff’s backing, the church leaders are optimistic that their collaboration with the government on education, health, and economic issues would become more effective and beneficial for the people of Papua.
On the other hand, pastors requested that the government actively involve the church as a strategic partner in the development process in Papua. They believe that the involvement of the church in issues related to education, health, and people’s economy will make the implementation of Special Autonomy policies more effective and targeted.
