Sorong, Jubi – Hundreds of Indigenous Papuan women traders blocked a major intersection in Sorong on Thursday night after Southwest Papua Governor Elisa Kambu failed to meet them following an overnight protest outside the governor’s office.
The protesters, representing traders from all five regencies and Sorong City, spread mats across Basuki Rahmat Street at the Remu intersection, disrupting traffic as some remained seated on the road while others prepared to spend another night outdoors.
The road blockade marked an escalation of a protest that began on Wednesday, when the traders marched to the governor’s office demanding the fulfillment of promises made a year ago to provide business capital and establish proper market facilities for Indigenous Papuan women traders.
The protesters had spent Wednesday night outside the governor’s office hoping to meet Kambu, but said no provincial officials responded to their demands. Before moving onto the roadway, demonstrators also burned several used tires outside the government compound.
Levina Duwit, chair of the Sorong City Papuan Women Traders Market Association (P2MP-KS), said the traders were disappointed that the governor had refused to hear their concerns despite repeated attempts to seek dialogue.
“Last night we slept outside the governor’s office. We only asked Governor Elisa Kambu to come and receive the aspirations of Papuan women traders. Why is that so difficult?” Duwit told reporters at the protest.
She said the traders had repeatedly sought a meeting with the governor to ask how Special Autonomy (Otsus) funds had been allocated.
“We want to know where the Special Autonomy funds are. Where is the share for Papuan women traders? Until now, we have not truly benefited from those funds,” she said.
According to Duwit, many Indigenous Papuan traders continue to sell their goods on muddy ground with inadequate facilities. She also criticized the provincial government for failing to honor commitments made after receiving the traders’ political support during last year’s regional elections.
She acknowledged that the provincial government had distributed Rp10.125 billion in business grants to 2,448 recipients between December 2025 and January 2026, but argued the program failed to reach many legitimate members of P2MP-KS. She also criticized the construction of new market facilities, saying it proceeded without consultation with the traders’ organization.
Human rights lawyer Yohanis Mambrasar, who assists the traders, said repeated efforts to establish formal communication with provincial agencies had gone unanswered.
“Government agencies have not responded. Instead, they continue to impose complicated administrative requirements that prevent many Papuan women traders from accessing these programs,” Mambrasar said.
He said the demonstrators had returned to present a new policy proposal aimed at overhauling government support for Indigenous Papuan traders.
The proposal calls for a memorandum of understanding between the governor and the Southwest Papua Legislative Council guaranteeing Rp3 billion to Rp6 billion in annual business capital funding, transferring management of the assistance program to an independent institution rather than provincial agencies, reserving market stalls for Indigenous Papuan women traders in both temporary and permanent markets, and publicly disclosing the 2025 budget realization report for the province’s business grant program.
“Today we came back to urge the governor to honor his promises and respond to the aspirations of Papuan women traders. We have brought a new policy framework for supporting Papuan traders,” Mambrasar said. (*)