As it approaches two decades in force, the special autonomy status of Papua and West Papua has been making news following increased calls for the rejection of its renewal from several civil groups in the two provinces. They contend that the arrangement has strayed away from the initial vision and now serves as a pretext for the central government to exert control over the region. The special autonomy fund, which was set out in the 2001 Special Autonomy Law, is set to expire in November 2021, and the House of Representatives is now discussing whether to renew it. Many Papuans believe the fund, which was established to accelerate development in Papua and West Papua, has not addressed the root causes of the provinces’ problems. They have also criticized the implementation of law, for example, the failure to set up the National Commission for Human Rights, the Human Rights Ad-hoc…