Febriamy Hutapea – The House of Representatives on Monday opened its first session of the year by calling on the government to pay closer attention to Papua, which lags far behind other provinces in development.

During the House's year-end recess, lawmakers visited 22 of the country's 33 provinces. They found key problems stemming from a lack of public services, troubled administration, land disputes and overlapping authority in the fight against illegal logging.

"Especially in Papua, which was visited by House Commission I, overseeing defense and foreign affairs, and Commission III, overseeing security. It needs a lot of attention because of its snail-speed development," House speaker Marzuki Alie said.

Though Papua is rich in resources, it suffers from widespread poverty and lacks key infrastructure. Papua has also been marred by outbreaks of violence between indigenous Papuans, settlers and security forces since it was incorporated into the country in the 1960s.

In a 2005 study, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) indicated Papua had the lowest human development index in the country, scoring 62.1 compared to the national average of 69.6.

Marzuki said some of the demands of Papuans for increased development have been answered, particularly in light of the 2001 Law on Special Autonomy for Papua.

"Unfortunately, the special autonomy budget for Papua, which amounts to about Rp 30 trillion [$3.21 billion], has not fully answered high expectations for change, including from the local people," Marzuki said.

The special autonomy law included regulations meant to address reconciliation in Papua, including the resolution of human rights abuses, natural resources exploration and the protection of indigenous cultures.

Many Papuans, Marzuki said, live in poverty and remain uneducated despite large-scale mining and forestry operations in the region, such as in the giant Grasberg gold and copper mine operated by an Indonesian subsidiary of US-based PT Freeport McMoRan.

"The House's findings on problems occurring in the regions will be beneficial for material discussion with each commission's partners in the government during this year's period," Marzuki said.