President Jokowi : Merata Infrastructure Development, Not Java Sentris

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is in the midst of volunteers at the United Nusantara activity (photo: dock. intermediate)

JAKARTA - The President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo emphasized that the infrastructure development carried out during his reign was not Java-centric or only concentrated on the island of Java. "Once again I convey that development is not Java-centric, but development has also been carried out outside Java," said President Jokowi at the United Nusantara activities held by Jokowi volunteers at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (GBK) Jakarta, Saturday, November 26. According to the President, during the last few years the infrastructure development carried out by the government has been mostly carried out outside Java. He mentioned that the area of Indonesia which has 38 provinces, 514 districts and cities as well as around 17 thousand islands, development cannot only be carried out on the island of Java alone. In other words, infrastructure development must be evenly distributed in each region so that inequality does not occur. The alumni Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) said that if development was only focused on the island of Java, then the equal distribution of infrastructure would never be achieved. In the presence of volunteers present at the GBK Stadium, Jokowi said that the infrastructure development would give birth to new economic points. For example, the construction of the Moto GP Circuit in Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) which succeeded in bringing economic change to the community.

"After the Mandalika GP Moto Circuit, now Mandalika is a new point of economic growth," he said, quoted by Antara. Not only that, the success or impact of infrastructure development carried out by the government is also seen in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Beautiful beaches have succeeded in becoming a new economic source thanks to adequate infrastructure development, he said. Jokowi said the two examples are evidence that the development carried out by the government is not Javanese-centric. "This will later become the points of the Indonesian economy," he said.