Traditional Leaders On Pulau Rempang Call Jokowi Talk Directly With Residents By Phone

Minister of Investment and Head of BKPM Bahlil Lahadalia while talking at the house of one of the community leaders on Pulau Rempang, Monday (18/9). ANTARA/Yude

BATAM - Minister of Investment and Head of BKPM Bahlil Lahadalia gave residents the opportunity to speak directly with Indonesian President Joko Widodo by telephone, during a visit to the house of a Malay figure on Pulau Rempang, Batam City, Riau Islands, last Sunday night. This was conveyed by a spokesman for the Indigenous Public Association (Keramat) Suardi when receiving another visit from Minister Bahlil on Pulau Rempang, Monday afternoon. "This ministerial visit is a mandate from the President, to visit the family here. At the time of the event starting last night, the President immediately called Pak Bahlil, only after that our dialogue began. I told this so that there would be no lies between us," said Suardi in front of the residents of Rempang as reported by Antara, Monday, September 18. Suardi explained that his party conveyed the Kampung Tua lineage on Pulau Rempang and the residents' hopes regarding the relocation. He hopes that what his party always conveys about the struggle of the Malay people on the island can be heard. "There are two dignitys that must be fought for. The first is the spirit of the state, and then the Malay spirit. We have conveyed all of that, now we just need to go into the process," he said. For this reason, he appealed to all people at 16 points of Kampung Tua on Pulau Rempang to resolve this problem coldly. "The purpose of our struggle is to maintain dignity, uphold unity under the Indonesian law. We understand the rules. As a great nation, I believe our commitment to solve problems based on deliberation," he said. Meanwhile, the Minister of Investment and Head of BKPM Bahlil Lahadalia said that his arrival to the residents was to find a solution related to investment problems that had an impact on residents. According to him, the entry of the investment will definitely bring positive economic growth. In addition, children can get jobs.

"Farmers and fishermen, please look for a lot of results, so that investors can buy them. We will discuss it together. Rempang is 17 thousand hectares, 10 thousand protected forests, so it can't be worked on. So it was decided that not all of them were priorities, but the company that is now, we go first, right," said Bahlil.