My plane landed in Sorong at seven. The air outside was warm. I was sitting in front of the arrival gate, gazing at a row of old silver Avanza cars with yellow plates, when a kind-of-chunky, long-haired man with glasses called out to me. Hanging across his chest was a Papuan noken, and in one hand he carried nasi kuning for my breakfast. He was one of the Pengajar Muda who had come to pick me up at the airport.
We chatted for a few minutes. Then a few more, probably about the length that equals of an episode of Bocor Alus Politik Tempo, until the pickup vehicle finally arrived. We drove eastward, toward Maybrat.
It took about four hours to drive from Sorong to Maybrat. This wasn’t my first time in Papua. The trip reminded me of the road to Pegunungan Arfak, although the road conditions were, of course, vastly different. Maybrat, which is traversed by the trans Papua road, a.k.a "Jokowi road", has much better infrastructure. Perhaps it's because it's still relatively close to Sorong. But aside from the physical facilities, which were fairly decent, during the three weeks I spent there, I witnessed a human development disparity that made Maybrat stand out even more starkly.
While I was there, I became curious about the regency’s expenditure. I discovered that its annual budget (APBD) was around 1 trillion rupiah, for a region with a population of about 46,000 people. Just simple math, that would mean a per capita allocation of roughly 22 million rupiah per year. Of course, the reality is far more complex, with many competing budget priorities. Still, that average figure is relatively high compared to other regencies in Indonesia. My question after processing that information was: just how effective has it been?
The answer, I began to realize, lies in the contrast between what is physically visible and what remains systematically lacking. The roads were fine, the electricity stable for almost 24 hours, and for now, most schools had adequate internet access (thanks to Starlink). But the human side of development told a different story. In some public schools I visited or learned about, students hadn't had a full week of teachers in weeks, or even months. I also met many children who could operate smartphones well, navigating menus and accessing social media. Yet, they couldn’t actually read the words; they were simply memorizing icons and patterns. All of these phenomena actually not unique for me, since I also had similar findings during my time in other regencies in West Papua.
This reminded me of Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach. Sen argues that true development should be measured not just by economic growth or infrastructure, but by the real freedoms people have to live the kinds of lives they value. In Maybrat, the physical infrastructure might suggest progress, but when children lack quality teachers and consistent learning, their capabilities remain stunted. A paved road cannot replace a competent science teacher. Electricity means little if it doesn’t power knowledge, does it?
On paper, things looked promising. The large budget was there. The facilities were there. But the translation from numbers to impact was, somehow, broken. The capability to be educated and to break the cycle of poverty remained uncertain.
This is not to say nothing works in Maybrat. I listened closely to the Pengajar Muda’s reflections. I saw passionate teachers still trying their best. There are people who put in their best efforts to pave the future of Maybrat’s children to be as smooth as its asphalt road to Kumurkek. But what’s troubling is the inconsistency, made even more ironic by every scene of stark juxtaposition in reality.
My time in Maybrat made one thing clear: juxtaposition is not merely visual. It is visceral. It is felt most deeply in a child's stalled education, in a teacher shortages, or in a budget’s unfulfilled promise. As Sen might say, it is the absence of individual capability, not just the presence of material goods, that defines underdevelopment.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Pentolan OPM di Maybrat Nyerah, Ikrar Setia Kepada NKRI, Gara-Gara Rindu Istri dan Anak
Jakarta, EDITOR.ID,- Pentolan Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) di wilayah Maybrat, Papua Barat Daya, Yeremias Foumair akhirnya menyerah setelah bersembunyi cukup lama di tengah hutan. Pria itu mengucapkan ikrar setia kepada Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI) pada Kamis (15/5/2025). Yeremias menyerah setelah tak tahan karena kangen dengan anak dan istrinya yang tinggal di pemukiman warga…
Tim Satgas Yonif 501 saat bertugas di Maybrat,Papua barat lindungi masyarakat dari ancaman parasit malaria dengan lakukan Fogging.
Detikindo24.com,Maybrat, Papua Barat— Satgas Yonif 501/Bajra Yudha baru-baru ini melaksanakan kegiatan fogging (penyemprotan insektisida) di daerah penugasannya di Maybrat, Papua Barat. Rabu 4/9/2024
Langkah ini diambil untuk meminimalkan potensi penyebaran parasit…
Optimalisasi Pengelolaan Danau di Maybrat: Potensi Besar untuk Peningkatan Pendapatan Daerah
Maybrat, Papua Barat Daya,- EDITOR.ID,- Pemerintah Kabupaten Maybrat menggelar acara bertajuk “Optimalisasi Pengelolaan Terpadu Danau di Kabupaten Maybrat” yang dibuka oleh Penjabat Sekretaris Daerah Kabupaten Maybrat, Ferdinandus Taa, SH, M.Si pada Selasa, 13 Agustus 2024.
Acara ini dihadiri oleh berbagai tokoh penting, termasuk Letkol Inf. Yoannes Andy Wibowo, Komandan Kodim 1809/Maybrat,…
MAYBRAT, SEKILAS INDONESIA,- Kelompok kriminal bersenjata (KKB) menyerang Pos Satgas Yonif 133/YS di Kabupaten Maybrat, Papua Barat Daya. Insiden ini mengakibatkan satu anggota TNI gugur dan satu lainnya kritis.
“Iya benar, dua anggota kena tembak. 1 meninggal dunia dan 1 luka,” kata Kapendam XVIII Kasuari Letkol Inf Syawaludin kepada detikcom, Senin (25/12/2023).
Penyerangan itu terjadi di Pos…
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
MAYBRAT: Jabatan Komandan Korem 181/PVT Diserah Terimakan
KAPOL.ID – Pj Bupati Maybrat, Bernhard E Rondonuwu menghadiri Upacara Serah Terima Jabatan Komandan Korem 181/PVT Kodam XVIII/Kasuari.
Sertijab tersebut, dari Brigjen TNI Wawan Erawan, SE, M.M kepada Kolonel Inf Juniras L Toruan, S.Sos, M.Si, yang dilaksanakan di Korem 181/PVT.
Terpantau, upacara diikuti gabungan personil TNI/Polri yang diantaranya hadir Pangdam XVIII/Kasuari, Mayjen TNI Gabriel…
Silatnas dan Semnas Pamong Praja STPDN 01, Dihadiri Pj Bupati Maybrat dan Gubernur Jatim
Silatnas dan Semnas Pamong Praja STPDN 01, Dihadiri Pj Bupati Maybrat dan Gubernur Jatim
KAPOL.ID – Pj Bupati Maybrat, Bernhard E Rondonuwu dan Gubernur Jawa Timur Khofifah Indar Parawansa menghadiri Silatnas dan Semnas Pamong Praja STPDN 01, Sabtu 3 Desember 2022.
Gubernur Jawa Timur mengajak para Pamong Praja STPDN Angkatan 01 untuk bergandengan tangan menjawab dinamika global lewat Inisiatif, Kolaborasi, Inovasi (IKI) yang telah digaungkan oleh Pemprov Jatim sejak HUT Prov. Jatim…
Pj Bupati Maybrat bersama Kepala Daerah di Papua Barat Terima DIPA dan TKDD 2023
Pj Bupati Maybrat bersama Kepala Daerah di Papua Barat Terima DIPA dan TKDD 2023
KAPOL.ID – Pj Gubernur Provinsi Papua Barat, Paulus Waterpauw, menyerahkan Daftar Isian Pelaksanaan Anggaran (DIPA) dan Daftar Alokasi Transfer ke Daerah dan Dana Desa (TKDD) Tahun Anggaran (TA) 2023 pada Jumat, 2 Desember 2022,
DIPA dan TKDD diserahkan Pj Gubernur Papua Barat kepada para Satuan Kerja Kementerian Negara/Lembaga (K/L) dan Pemerintah Daerah di Papua Barat.
Didampingi Kepala Kanwil…
