Berau Regent Refuses To Join Kaltara: Dead Price For East Kalimantan

Berau Regent Sri Juniarsih emphasized that Berau Regency, the fixed price is part of the region from East Kalimantan (Kaltim) and will not join North Kalimantan.

This firm attitude was expressed simultaneously by the Regent of Berau along with the traditional Lembag, in Berau Regency, in a petition and signing of the rejection of cross-mass organizations, institutions, and community leaders in Berau Regency to Join Kaltara.

"He is only for East Kalimantan. Moreover, with various considerations and input from various Berau figures, that Berau has its own priorities in East Kalimantan in line with the presence of the Nusantara Capital (IKN) in East Kalimantan, especially since the majority of Berau people also do not agree with the merger," said the Regent. reported by ANTARA, Monday, November 13.

In addition, Berau has extraordinary natural resource potential and provides people's welfare and happiness.

"There is a strong enough reason to reject the invitation, first they want to focus on achieving priority programs and never think about separating from East Kalimantan," he said.

Then, routine APBD expenditure costs and employees have reached IDR 1.5 trillion to IDR 2 trillion.

Therefore, if you join Kaltara, the government will be very difficult. Moreover, the Kaltara APBD is much lower than Berau. Not to mention that the current profit-sharing fund (DBH) is quite larger.

"The East Kalimantan Provincial Government's assistance is most grateful for almost Rp 500 billion for repairing the southern coastal axis of Berau. How could we not know the reward if Berau joined Kaltara. If we join, then the road becomes Berau's asset, this will be very burdensome for us," he explained.

Meanwhile, one of the figures of the Berau mass organization, Syaipul Rizal added, a petition or statement of rejection of the merger of Berau to Kaltara had been signed by representatives of traditional institutions, mass organizations, and community leaders of Berau Regency.

"There are 6 petitions signed," he explained.

The following is the contents of the petition:

1. Rejecting the joining of Berau Regency is part of North Kalimantan Province and remains in East Kalimantan Province.

2. Firmly reject all forms of efforts made by certain groups to bring Berau Regency to join North Kalimantan Province.

3. Rejecting the Survey Results/Study of Unilateral Feasibility Studies related to the Merger of Berau Regency to North Kalimantan Province, which is considered to still have doubts about its credibility.

4. Ask the Berau Regency Government, both Executive and Legislative, to stop discourse and dialogue efforts related to the joining of Berau Regency to Kaltara Province.

5. Ask certain parties to immediately stop the discourse on merging Berau Regency to Kaltara Province in order to create a conducive and safe situation in Berau Regency.

6. We convey this petition to maintain security and peace in the Land of Batiwakkal.