Jakarta – All factions in the House of Representatives have agreed to pass legislation giving a legal basis for the implementation of special autonomy in the new province of West Papua.

"We agreed to pass the bill during a plenary session Tuesday," lawmaker EE Mangindaan, head of House Commission II overseeing home affairs, said here Monday.

West Papua was established as a new province in 1999 when it separated from its mother province, Papua. This partition was enacted in Law No. 45/1999.

Two years later, the House and the government enacted Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua.

Papua legislative council head John Ibo challenged the creation of the province of West Papua through the Constitutional Court in 2004.

He requested the court annul all articles in the 1999 law legalizing the establishment of the new province.

The court ruled the enactment of Law No. 21/2001 meant Law No. 45/1999 was no longer legally binding, but said the establishment of West Papua remained lawful.

The decision created local administrative confusion because Law No. 21/2001 regulates special regional autonomy for Papua, but not for West Papua.

"Since West Papua elected a governor in 2006, the provincial administration has not received any special autonomy budget allocations because of the court's decision," said Eka Santosa, deputy chairman of Commission II.

To give a legal basis for special autonomy in West Papua, the government issued in 2008 a regulation in lieu of law on special autonomy for the province.

The government and the House later agreed to make this regulation a bill, which will be passed Tuesday.

The House also said the government needed to reinforce the legality of West Papua's existence as a province.

"Government services in West Papua are at risk because of its lack of legal foundation. Thus, we are considering reviewing the content of Law No. 45/1999, from which we will formulate a new bill to replace this law," Eka said. The House also urged the government to evaluate and monitor the resources and allocations of special autonomy budgets both in West Papua and in Papua.

The government was also asked to immediately make some adjustment policies to respond to the reinforcement of West Papua's special autonomy. These policies include adjusting the structure of the provincial representatives council and the detail mechanisms of the special autonomy budget allocations as well as the income management for the two provinces. (alf)