The House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense has established a working committee to focus on solutions to the ongoing violence in Papua.
Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq said on Tuesday that the committee would comprise 27 lawmakers and be chaired by leaders of his commission.
"This committee aims to encourage the government to formulate comprehensive and peaceful programs in order to solve the problems in Papua," Mahfudz said.
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician added that Commission I had identified several issues in Papua including a lack of trust by locals of the government, the politics of the history of the integration of Papua into Indonesia, the poor performance of the Special Unit of Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B) and the regional administration, and increasing armed violence.
"Those problems are like a vicious circle, they could be a time bomb for the Republic of Indonesia,” Mahfudz said.