Empowerment Policy for Indigenous Papuan Traders as a Conflict Resolution Strategy

Abstract

This study focuses on the policy of empowering indigenous Papuan traders as a conflict-resolution strategy. A library research approach was used, and the data was obtained from literature sources relevant to the research topic. Data analysis was carried out in the following stages: data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of this study indicate a sufficiently deep gap between indigenous Papuans (amber) and immigrants (komin). Indigenous people generally live within the poverty line, whereas immigrants live with adequate income levels. Inequality exists in various economic activities, where migrants play a more prominent role in controlling economic activities, while indigenous Papuans face challenges in competing due to various factors. This kind of polarization then gives rise to dichotomies in social life, which often leads to clashes with one another (conflict). The policy of developing a special market for Papuan women as a response from the government has not been able to fully address existing problems. Therefore, as a recommendation, an affirmative policy is needed fo the protection and empowerment of indigenous Papuan traders to maximize the sales of local cultural commodities. The ultimate goal is for indigenous Papuan traders to be more prosperous and able to compete with migrant traders. An affirmation policy on the empowerment of indigenous Papuan traders can also be used for conflict resolution. Various research results have shown that local community empowerment policies can be used as a strategy to resolve social conflicts.
 Keywords: conflict resolution, empowerment, indigenous Papuans, policy