Mimika – The Mimika Regency Government, in the province of Central Papua, is strengthening its collaboration with the Amungme and Kamoro Community Empowerment Foundation (YPMAK) to support local development and community empowerment.
Head of the Mimika Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), Septinus Timang, stated in Timika on Friday that the regency government is currently finalizing cooperation agreements (PKS) with YPMAK, specifically in the sectors of education and health.
“The agreement with the Health Office has been finalized, while the agreement with the Education Office still requires some revisions,” he said.
He emphasized that this collaboration is essential to ensure that the execution of duties and responsibilities—particularly in education, health, and the economy—does not result in overlapping programs.
“We are serving the same population. YPMAK focuses on the Amungme and Kamoro tribes, as well as five related tribes, while the government serves these same groups in addition to the broader, diverse population residing in Mimika,” he explained.
The collaboration focuses on programs designed for the community, covering both coastal and highland areas.
“These agreements are not about money; they are about existing programs and how we can best collaborate on them. We have also established a joint secretariat at the Bappeda Mimika office to facilitate coordination,” he added.
He expressed his appreciation for YPMAK’s ongoing commitment to fostering community empowerment and development through various initiatives in education, health, and the economy.
He also welcomed YPMAK’s commitment to supporting the youth of the Amungme and Kamoro tribes—along with the five related tribes—through educational programs, enabling them to compete for and gain admission into Indonesia’s official government-affiliated vocational schools (sekolah kedinasan). He noted that a challenge local youths face in gaining admission to government-affiliated vocational schools is the limited quota allocated to Mimika, despite high interest among the students.
“This is an area where we might collaborate; the government could intervene by writing to the central government to request an increase in the quota for these schools for Mimika,” he said.
