On Friday morning, May 29, the usually quiet area surrounding the Papua Youth Creative Hub Building in Jayapura became noticeably busier.
Students carrying notebooks walked beside traditional leaders wearing cultural accessories. Government vehicles arrived one after another. Military officers, church representatives, researchers, community activists, and local officials slowly filled the venue.
For two days, conversations that normally happen separately across Papua were brought into the same building.
The topic was ambitious.
How should Papua develop without losing the communities, forests, traditions, and social structures that have shaped it for generations?
That question dominated the third Analisis Papua Strategis (Strategic Papua Analysis) conference, or APS III, held on May 29 and 30 under the theme “Papua Development Innovation Based on Ethnoscience.”
Unlike many government forums that focus heavily on statistics and infrastructure targets, APS III often returned to a different starting point.
People first.
Development later.
Indigenous Protection Moves to the Center of Discussion
By the time discussions entered their first sessions, one phrase repeatedly surfaced across different panels.
Protection.
Not only the protection of forests.
Not only the protection of culture.
However, it is also crucial to protect Indigenous Papuans themselves.
Much of the conversation centered around strengthening Special Regional Regulations, commonly called Perdasus, particularly regulations connected with customary rights and Indigenous protection mechanisms.
Several participants argued that physical development alone cannot answer increasingly complex social challenges in Papua.
Jayapura Mayor Benhur Tomi Mano described APS III as an important space for discussing the future direction of Indigenous communities while ensuring development remains relevant to local realities.
Inside conference rooms, discussions moved from land governance to education, from social welfare to traditional institutions.
The subjects changed.
The underlying concern rarely did.
Ribka Haluk Says Development Cannot Leave Indigenous Communities Behind
When Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Ribka Haluk addressed participants, her remarks focused less on infrastructure and more on participation.
Speaking before conference attendees, Ribka repeatedly emphasized that Indigenous Papuans should not merely become objects of development programs.
They should help shape them.
Her message resonated because Ribka herself understands many of the social realities discussed inside the conference.
Throughout her speech, she described APS III as more than an academic gathering.
According to her, forums like this matter because they create space for government institutions, researchers, customary leaders, religious figures, and communities to sit together before policies are implemented.
Several attendees later said Ribka’s comments reflected a larger shift within Papua discussions.
The conversation is increasingly focused not only on construction but also on who participates in the building process.
It is also about who participates in the building.
Dedi Mulyadi Arrives With A Different Message
If Ribka spoke about participation, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, also known as Kang Dedi Mulyadi (KDM) spoke repeatedly about forests, rivers, and mountains.
Additionally, there is a concern that development may sometimes progress too rapidly.
During his appearance in Jayapura, Dedi repeatedly argued that Papua should avoid copying development models from other regions without adjustment.
“Do not sacrifice nature and culture,” he told participants.
The statement received applause.
Throughout his remarks, Dedi frequently described Papua as “the last paradise,” language he has also used in previous public appearances.
He emphasized that discussions about economic growth must include forests, customary territories, and Indigenous communities.
At several moments his speech became more personal.
According to participants inside the hall, Dedi described Papua not as an empty space waiting for development, but as a place that already possesses social systems and local knowledge that should remain central.
Scholarship Promise Changes Atmosphere Inside the Hall
The loudest reaction during Dedi’s appearance came unexpectedly.
After discussing forests and local wisdom, he shifted toward education.
Dedi announced plans to provide scholarships for forty Indigenous Papuan students to continue studies in Bandung.
He explained that support would not stop at tuition.
Living expenses would also be covered.
“Please come study in Bandung,” he told participants.
Phones immediately appeared.
People recorded.
Some applauded before he finished speaking.
Education repeatedly surfaced throughout APS III as one of Papua’s most urgent long-term issues, particularly regarding access, quality, and human resource development.
That partly explains why the scholarship announcement quickly became one of the most discussed moments of the conference.
Military, Human Rights, And Development Share The Same Space
APS III attracted attention not only because of its themes but also because of who attended.
Army Chief of Staff General Maruli Simanjuntak was present.
Deputy Minister of Human Rights Mugiyanto also joined discussions.
The combination itself reflected something larger.
Papua conversations increasingly involve overlapping sectors.
Security.
Education.
Rights.
Economics.
Culture.
Infrastructure.
Conference organizers appeared to intentionally avoid separating these discussions into isolated compartments.
Instead, APS III aimed to achieve a more challenging goal.
Putting them together.
Why Ethnoscience Became the Theme
For many international observers, ethnoscience may sound abstract.
Inside APS III, the concept was discussed more simply.
Local knowledge should not disappear because modernization happens.
Agricultural systems.
Customary governance.
Traditional ecological knowledge.
Local languages.
Community institutions.
Supporters argued these systems should become part of development planning rather than obstacles to it.
That argument appeared repeatedly throughout discussions.
Several speakers suggested that development becomes more sustainable when communities recognize themselves inside the process.
Conclusion
As APS III entered its final hours on May 30, participants gradually left Papua Youth Creative Hub carrying folders, notebooks, coffee cups, and unfinished conversations.
Outside, traffic returned.
Motorcycles passed.
Street vendors reopened.
The conference ended.
The debates probably did not.
After two days of discussions, one question continued to linger for participants as they left the building.
How can Papua grow quickly enough to compete while still preserving its unique identity?