Jokowi: Public Transportation Development Will Increase State Competitiveness

President Jokowi (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said the construction of public transportation on large islands could in this case increase Indonesia's competitiveness.

This was conveyed by Jokowi when inaugurating the Maros and Parepare Railway Depots, quoted from the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube today, Wednesday, March 29.

Therefore, Jokowi appreciated the construction of the railway line in South Sulawesi, Makassar-Parepare. He said the government also plans to build a Trans Sulawesi railway line.

Furthermore, Jokowi said that if later the train in Sulawesi had started a lot, it would not only be used for passenger transportation, but also for tourism to goods.

"This will provide competitiveness for our country to improve, because goods are transported by cheap means of transportation," said Jokowi.

"Not an option by others, but this is an option that we can give to the community, to entrepreneurs to use the path we have built," he continued.

Jokowi emphasized that the development of public transportation on the islands of Indonesia, especially big cities, is a basic thing as access to connect between inter-city and district provinces.

But unfortunately, said Jokowi, Indonesia was late in building public transportation on the islands, especially in big cities. In fact, he said, Jakarta was 30 years late.

The delay in transportation development, said Jokowi, has finally caused people to choose to use private cars.

All in droves using private vehicles is finally jammed in all cities now, not only in Jakarta. Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Surabaya, Semarang, in Makassar, everything is jammed. Because we are late to build public transportation," he explained.