Jakarta, Aug 1 (Antara) - Provinces in eastern Indonesia, such as Papua and West Papua, are relatively lagging behind those in the western part of the country, resulting in the government to accord priority to the development in Papua.
One of the development strategies that President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi's) government is carrying out in Papua is accelerating the development of infrastructure, including roads, in order to develop connectivity to isolated regions that could spur the growth of the local economy.
In developing connectivity, the government is also accelerating the realization of the sea toll project that connects Surabaya in East Java to Papua.
The construction of Trans-Papua Road last year, for example, has received a budget allocation of Rp2.15 trillion, consisting of Rp739 billion for the maintenance of 1,719.46 kilometer roads, Rp834.8 billion for the construction of 151.34 kilometer new roads, and Rp579.4 billion for the construction of bridges.
The projects are part of the Trans-Papua Highway that connect Papua and West Papua. Construction of the 4,330-kilometer Trans-Papua Highway in Indonesia's easternmost and mineral-rich provinces of Papua and West Papua will offer greater connectivity and is expected to boost economic activities in the regions.
The Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry has completed the construction of about 3,850 kilometers of the targeted 4,330 kilometer Trans-Papua Highway that is expected to be completed by the end of the term of the current government of Jokowi in 2019.
"The 570-kilometer Sorong-Manokwari segment in West Papua has relatively been connected. There is only a 12-kilometer section at the border of West Papua and Papua that remains to be constructed. We have sent three teams, and this section must be completed this year," PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono stated in Jakarta recently.
The ongoing construction of the roads was inspected by Jokowi last May.
The construction of infrastructure in Papua is supported by contractor companies. The Indonesian Construction Contractor Association (Gapensi), for instance, wants all parties to join forces in fully supporting the seriousness of Jokowi in developing infrastructure in Papua.
"His (Jokowi's) policy to build massive infrastructure in Papua to eliminate the province's backwardness is right," Secretary General of Gapensi Andi Rukman Karumpa said in Jakarta on Tuesday (Aug.1).
He stated that the good intention and plans of the president in building Papua also should not be politicized by various parties that do not support the development of Papua.
Andi acknowledged that building Papua needs a huge cost, and so the efforts of the central government to seek funds, either through increasing debt and improvising other financial sources, should not to be questioned.
"Let alone (the funds used to develop) the productive sectors such as infrastructure development in Papua. Moreover, the ratio (of the debt) against Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is still safe," he noted.
Earlier, Jokowi remarked that the key to mobilizing the economy and equity in Papua was the acceleration of infrastructure development.
"The construction of airports, ports, roads, and bridges (must be done) so as to open all areas of Papua from isolation and facilitate inter-regional, inter-district, and inter-regional connectivity," he remarked while chairing a Limited Cabinet Meeting on evaluating the implementation of national strategic projects and priority programs of Papua Province at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on July 19.
According to the president, Papua possesses the widest area and abundant natural wealth potential, including mining, agriculture, forestry, marine, and fishery resources.
Apart from road infrastructure, connectivity is also being developed through a sea toll project. The Ministry of Transportation has approved the construction project of the sea toll road en route from the Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya city, East Java province, to Biak, a district in Papua province.
"The Ministries of Trade and Transportation have agreed on the construction proposal," the district secretary assistant II Mahasunu stated on July 12. The toll project will provide services from the Tanjung Perak port to some province's districts, including Manokwari, Wasior, Nabire, Serui, and Biak.
The route from Biak would cover Serui, Nabire, Wasior, Manokwari, and back to Surabaya, Mahasunu noted. The sea toll construction project would help the business in terms of distributions to the districts.
The state-owned port operator PT Pelindo had in 2014 noted that some 24 ports would be repaired to accelerate the sea toll project, which was initiated by Jokowi.
The firm would renovate some ports, including Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya; Benoa in Bali; and other nine ports located in Ambon (Maluku province), Biak, Makassar (South Sulawesi), Bitung (Menado), Sorong, Pare-Pare, Ternate, and Tarakan.
The sea toll project is the government's most important program to support companies to distribute goods to remote islands. ***3***(A014/INE/B003)EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 01-08-2017 22:32: |
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