President Asks His Subordinates To Focus On Building 4 New Provinces In Papua, Including Infrastructure Support

The Arfak Mountains Regency area in Southwest Papua, which is planned to build a road for tourism routes in 2019. (doc Manokwari.bpk.go.id)

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto focused infrastructure development in four new provinces in Papua, namely Central Papua, Mountains Papua, South Papua, and Southwest Papua.

This was conveyed by the Coordinating Minister for Regional Infrastructure and Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) in a press conference after a limited meeting with President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, Tuesday, February 18, was confiscated by Antara.

"Mr. President wants to be true that Indonesia's development in the eastern part, especially Papua, can also be focused, especially on the presence of new autonomous regions, four new provinces that also need attention from the government for infrastructure support," said AHY.

AHY explained that the President wants development in eastern Indonesia, especially the four new provinces in Papua to receive attention.

This includes providing basic infrastructure, such as land, housing, and transportation networks. In addition, the transmigration program is also expected to open new economic potential in these areas.

AHY said that the four new provinces do not yet have an adequate government center. For this reason, AHY hopes that the provincial government will prepare land for the development of the central government.

"This is where it is hoped that the local government, provincial government, for example, will prepare the land as soon as possible. Now we ask the central government, including the Ministry of Public Works (Public Works), to be able to build the center of government," said AHY.

He said that the construction of the government center included the offices of the governor, DPRD, and the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP).

AHY said that the purpose of this development is to create adequate infrastructure so that local governments can work optimally.

"So this means that the spirit is how the government can immediately work optimally after an environment is prepared infrastructure," he said.

President Prabowo ahri summoned the Coordinating Minister for Regional Infrastructure and Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and a number of related ministers to discuss a number of issues regarding infrastructure.

Apart from AHY, the ministers who attended the limited meeting were the Minister of Transmigration Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara, Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of BPN Nusron Wahid, Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi, Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo, Minister of Housing and Settlement Area Maruarar Sirait.

Furthermore, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, Minister of SOEs Erick Thohir, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.