Video Appears Of Buleleng Residents Rejecting PDIP Presidential Candidates Because Of North Bali Airport, This Is Koster's Words

Chairman of the Bali PDIP DPD Wayan Koster when interviewed regarding the video of a group of residents reluctant to support PDIP in the aftermath of the cancellation of North Bali airport, Denpasar, Saturday (18/11/2023). ANTARA/Ni Putu Putri Muliantari

The chairman of the Bali PDI-P DPD Wayan Koster said a viral video showing a group of people who were reluctant to support the presidential-vice presidential candidate from PDIP because Megawati Soekarnoputri refused to build an airport in North Bali had no effect on the votes of her party.

"It doesn't affect PDIP, if I think it's spontaneous as a reaction, and hopefully it's not purely because there is an engineering push from certain parties, of course I'm grateful for its aspirations, in the future it will be something that must be considered," he said after the 1st Indonesian Vocal Link and Match activity in Denpasar, reported by ANTARA, Saturday, November 18.

The former governor of Bali admitted that he had watched related videos, until now he did not know who the people in the video were, in fact he felt that the airport issue in North Bali was an old issue that was suspected of reappearing because it was about to electoralize.

It is known that the video was uploaded via the TikTok account dated 89089512 on Thursday (16/11), currently the video recorded around 17 people has been viewed 789 thousand times.

As for the sentence uttered by one of the people in the video, it reads Om Swastiastu, we North Balinese people do not support the presidential and vice presidential candidates from PDIP because Megawati does not agree with the airport in Buleleng. We want work, we are far from civilization, we are hungry, we are poor. So that the airport is immediately built in Buleleng, Buleleng's life.

"Yes, it's an aspiration, Mrs. Megawati doesn't refuse that, but whether this new airport is really needed, urgently at this time, I don't think so," said Koster.

According to him, the capacity of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport is still sufficient to serve tourists, even if the airport needs to be taken care of first, supporting infrastructure, such as inter-district access so that airports can develop, not empty passengers, especially since the public's desire is to get jobs there.

"So before talking about the airport, make sure the needs that must be met before creating a new airport, then access to the Buleleng will be completed first, just close the cut, then that's not the toll road yet, the train hasn't yet, the airport is the last, after the land access is adequate," he said.

Previously, PDIP General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri had expressed her rejection of the airport construction in North Bali.

During his visit to the Sanur SEZ, Monday (16/1/2023) he admitted that he was the goal of his rejection for the people of Bali because in the end the investors would benefit.

"I chatted with Governor Koster when I wanted to rebuild the airport in Buleleng. My guess, I called him, it's good just to benefit tourism," he said at the time.

The airport project in North Bali itself has finally not been continued, as President Jokowi has not included it in the National Strategic Project List (PSN).