JAKARTA - The presence of fishing boats and the Chinese Coast Guard in Natuna waters is considered to be disturbing Indonesia's sovereignty. This condition then led to a discourse on expanding the Natuna district into a special province.
The discourse was raised by the Regent of Natuna Regency, Abdul Hamid Rizal, to make the Natuna and Anambas regions a special province. The reason is to increase the authority of local governments to manage coastal and marine areas in Natuna.
"By making Natuna a special province, it will increase the authority and ability in maintaining, managing and participating in guarding the coastal and marine areas in Natuna," Hamid said in a written statement.
Hamid refers to Law Number 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Government. In this regulation, district / city governments do not have the authority over marine waters. As a result, the Natuna Regency Government cannot do much to protect and manage these waters.
Especially for guarding, he said, it can also be maximized in border areas. So far, this area belongs to the authority of the Riau Islands Province.
Regarding this proposal, Chairman of Commission II, Ahmad Doli Kurnia, assessed that the idea of regional expansion by safeguarding sovereignty cannot be generalized. Because according to him, maintaining state sovereignty is the responsibility of all parties regardless of territory.
The man who is familiarly called Doli emphasized that China's efforts to claim and go to sea in Natuna waters have disturbed Indonesia's sovereignty. So that disturbances of this kind are not only a matter for the local government in Natuna, but also at the central level.
"Never mind the regencies, provinces, which they disturb the state, the scoop is bigger. The country they disturb. So it has nothing to do with wanting to establish the province. The state just wants them to penetrate, let alone the province, right?" He said, at the DPR Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday, January 7.
This Golkar Party politician explained that the reason for the division of the province was because of the threat to state sovereignty was not the right reason. At least, said Doli, there must be a strong reason that requires Natuna to become a province.
"Even if there is a suggestion that they want their own province, the reason is that currently one of the regions in Natuna wants to be claimed by China. That is not one of the main considerations for the birth of Natuna province. Unless there are other reasons," he said.
He added that until now his party had not received the proposal for the expansion of Natuna Regency to become a province. "I do not know whether Natuna Regency and its surroundings have ever proposed to form its own province or not. As far as I remember, it doesn't exist yet," he explained.
Another reason why Natuna District cannot be considered as a province is because the government is passing a moratorium. However, according to Doli, from the data he knew there was no list of names in Natuna Province.
"To this day, the Ministry of Home Affairs has registered around 315 candidates for new autonomous regions, both provinces and districts / cities. I have not fully seen it, but as far as I know there are no Natuna Province," he said.
Doli said, the region that is currently going to experience expansion is Papua. Because the area is divided into a number of locations.
"If the province (division) is for example Papua, that will be all seven of them. That's what is now a true issue. Then in North Sumatra there are several, yes, then in Sulawesi there is Buton Province. So that is the sounding to this day. We have held several hearings with Commission II, "he explained.
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