Oktovianus Maniani or better known as Okto Maniani is an Indonesian football legend from Papua and has played at the highest level of Indonesian football with several clubs. The peak of Okto’s career was when he was successfully called to defend the Indonesian National Team to compete in the 2010 AFF Cup and won the runner-up title. Okto’s impressive football career did not last long because he finally chose to enter the world of politics. The player who plays as a winger reached the peak of his popularity when he defended Sriwijaya FC Palembang and finally had a last professional footballer contract with PSBS Biak. Okto Maniani admitted that he was interested in entering the world of politics because it had indeed been his dream and he also felt the unrest that had to be overcome through political channels. In addition, several retired footballers also inspired him because they had succeeded in getting positions in local government through political channels.
Okto Maniani’s motivation in deciding to enter the world of politics was of course not far from football matters. According to Okto, Papua as one of the regions in the Republic of Indonesia that is famous for its talented football players must have special policies that aim to facilitate these special talents so that they can reach a higher level so that they get professional contracts from clubs both domestically and internationally. The provision of football facilities in Papua is planned by Okto to build adequate training grounds and provide full support, especially regarding access and funding for football players from Papua who will train and if they have to train to compete with opponents outside Papua. Okto Maniani wants to provide comfort for football players who are still starting their careers so that they can stay focused on the main goal of playing football without thinking about other problems.
As a politician, of course Okto Maniani does not just think about football matters even though that is the background of his life that is already understood. Two other things that according to Okto will be fought for and fixed through political policies are health and education. According to him, the level of health and education in Papua need to be improved because it will have an impact on other aspects of life such as the economy and also the welfare of the community.
Okto Maniani’s hope is that he will have the opportunity to join the Papuan regional government. The first step taken is to join a political party, namely the Gelora Party. According to Okto, when he joins a political party, the path to getting a place in the regional government will be even wider open. Okto is even determined to participate in the election of members of the People’s Representative Council in 2029. So from now on, Okto will start carrying out political maneuvers and activities with the Gelora Party to voice aspirations and find out what needs to be fixed in Papua.