The History of the Archipelago's Sea Sand Exports: Singapore Profits, Indonesia Loses

JAKARTA - The population growth rate is quite high in Singapore in the 1970s. This condition made Singapore begin to feel a land crisis. Instead of adding various facilities such as housing to offices, the waste disposal site alone does not exist.

The initiative was taken. The land reclamation project was rolled out. Indonesia is tempted to become a supplier of marine sand. Singapore will not reject Indonesia's offer. In fact, the policy brings different results. Singapore is profitable, Indonesia is dead.

Singapore's role in playing the world economy has been famous for a long time. The position of the small country cannot be underestimated. Those who lead Singapore also have a big vision and mission. They understand all kinds of problems that exist in their country.

This understanding was then formulated through punctuating policies. This condition began to appear in the 1970s. Singapore's development at that time was quite rapid. Economic development was inflamed from various fields from tourism to health.

In fact, this condition brings new problems. The population growth rate is getting higher. domino effects also emerged. Land in Singapore is getting rarer. The scarcity of land has become a serious problem.

The government also sees for themselves how scarcity of land makes the lives of Singaporeans even more difficult. Singapore is starting to be threatened with rising unemployment rates which are the causes of poverty.

Singapore's position is considered to be affected by the impact. Regarding waste management, for example. The Final Unloading Site (TPA) of Lorong Halus is almost full. Later, if there is no breakthrough, the existing waste will not be able to be handled.

The Singapore government does not want to lose to the situation. The power of power must be strong if it does not want to be eroded by the times. They tried to promote various policies. Restrictions on birth rates were also carried out. Singaporeans are limited to having only two children.

Those who follow the government's advice are made easier in life. Whoever refuses then his life will be even more difficult. Such efforts were made to make Singapore develop rapidly in the future.

Singapore is a small country size. The country lacks its natural resources and is always said in the national narrative to explain why Singaporeans should be grateful that the Lion Country still exists.

"This also answers why the Singaporeans must work hard and not underestimate the survival and prosperity, and why the government must be strong, relatively unmatched, continue to think and plan ahead, and carry out carefully," said Chao Rong Phua in the book Governing Cities: Asia's Urban Transformation (2020).

The Singapore government is constantly working hard. They are trying to find solutions related to land scarcity. As a result, the debate and long reflection between officials paid off. They agreed to need sea sand to build a new land reclamation.

They are also looking for countries that are willing to provide sea sand to mine. Countries that are willing include Indonesia, Myanmar, and Malaysia. However, Singapore tends to choose Indonesia.

The consideration was made because Indonesia's location is close and the New Order (Orba) government guarantees investment. Indonesia's sand export pack is opened. The Indonesian government also tries to give permission to bureaucrats and entrepreneurs to mine the sand in the Riau Islands.

Sea sand exports to Singapore have taken place since 1970. As a result, Singapore has made a profit even though it has to spend a deep amount.

The Singapore area until the early 2000s increased by about 20 percent. Singapore also utilizes sea sand from Indonesia to reclamation eight locations that become tourist attractions, agricultural land, waste management sites, to fishery research centers.

In 2001 alone, Singapore had received 8 billion cubic sand from Riau. The profit of the sand sent by exports to Singapore was not felt by the state. The government alone had to swallow the bitter pill because it lost five small islands around Riau.

Other problems that arose were like problems in the era of the Dutch trading airline, the VOC. The money that went into the government treasury was minimal. Meanwhile, they are individual bureaucrats and entrepreneurs who get maximum results. aka the durian order collapsed.

This condition makes Singapore profitable. While Indonesia is dead. The difference is that the VOC went bankrupt and disbanded. However, its corrupt culture is still lagging behind because it continues to be adopted by Indonesian officials. Sea sand exports were then stopped during the era of Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration in 2003. Megawati considers sand exports to be a lot of harm, rather than benefits.

If the Jakarta coast was traced from the shoreline to the sea for one kilometer by ten meters deep, the number sent to Singapore could cover the shoreline in the capital city to the coast of Surabaya! The distance between the two is 800 kilometers! The benefits turned out to be not the Riau Regional Government treasury whose territory has been "bak-belled" being looted every day.

In the last eight months of last year, Riau only received export tax revenues of Rp. 18.2 billion, even though the sand sent was Rp. 14 trillion. The tax is only 0.13 percent! Data for the first six months of this year is the same. The tax Riau received was only Rp. 73.4 billion from exports which was Rp. 47 trillion. Only 0.15 percent. The Pekmat is the largest part of this business, who else if not a businessman and bureaucrat," wrote Tempo magazine report entitled Business Country in Riau (2001).