That Papua is one of the poorest provinces in Indonesia is beyond dispute, but what is less known to date is the deep disparity that exists there.

The IFES public opinion survey found disparities not simply between people in urban and rural areas, which is not that unusual in Indonesia, but also between indigenous Papuans and migrants (which today make up more than 40 percent of the population), and also between the major tribes in the province.

The survey looked at various social and economic indicators in the province, from access to education and health, to the means of transportation and the economic conditions of the 2.3 million population. The disparities found are potential social time bombs that could explode, lest the government in Jakarta and the Papuan capital of Jayapura quickly move to redress them.

The gross inequalities in Papua found in the survey should also serve as a warning to Jakarta to rethink its plan on splitting Papua into three provinces. That is, unless the government in Jakarta has anything other than the well-being of the Papuan people in mind.

The Papuan problem is already a mess without the government complicating it by dividing the territory into three parts, which would only exacerbate the existing divisions revealed by the survey. At first glance, the state of education in Papua did not look all that bad. School participation, for example, is 85 percent on average. But of those attending school, one third misses class from time to time, according to the survey. The main reason for missing on school is lack of finances, but "need to help at home" and lack of transportation are other potentially major problems. (Table 5).

Three in four (74 percent) students walk to school, and for indigenous Papuans, the incidence of walking to school is even higher at 82 percent. Poverty, in other words, has a lot to do with the poor rate of school attendance among Papuan children. Ignorance about school extends to parents, many of whom are unaware that school fees for elementary and high school will soon be dropped. Again the disparity between tribes makes compelling study.

What is the main reason for not attending school?

Source: Public Opinion Survey Papua Indonesia, IFES

On health issues, the IFES survey found that for most Papuans, going to a puskesmas (community health center) is the only choice in seeking medical treatment in the apparent lack of hospital and doctor's services.

Malaria is widespread, but to a lesser extent in the mountainous areas around Wamena, according to the survey. On average, 77 percent of all Papuans have had at least one household member contract malaria in the last 12 months. For some indigenous tribes, the incidence is significantly higher, up to more than 90 percent in some cases. (Table 6)

Table 6: Have you or any member of your household suffered from any of these illnesses in the past 12 months?

Source: Public Opinion Survey Papua, IFES

"The results on this survey indicate that many areas of Papua, especially rural areas, suffer from inadequate health facilities. While the diet of most respondents includes a good mix of nutrients, a significant percentage of respondents indicate that they need to boil their water before drinking in most areas," the survey said in its summary of the health condition. "As with education, there has been little investment in public health infrastructure in Papua over the last few years."