AHY: Rivers Must Return to Being a Source of Life

Democratic Party Chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) has urged the public to help preserve rivers as a source of life and a pillar of economic activity. He noted that the condition of many rivers in Indonesia requires collective attention to prevent further degradation in quality. AHY stated that the Democratic Party has launched the ‘Ayo Muliakan Sungai’ (Let’s Honour Rivers) movement as part of the party’s 25th anniversary commemorations. The movement aims to encourage party cadres and the public to clean rivers in various regions. “Perhaps many of us do not realise that we have so many rivers. More than 5,500 main rivers and over 65,000 tributaries across Indonesia,” AHY said at Plaza Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday. According to AHY, many rivers in Indonesia are in poor condition, potentially causing various problems for the community. He called on all elements of society to restore the function of rivers as a source of life. “We must honour them so that rivers once again become our source of life, the source or lifeblood of the economy. Since ancient times, civilisations have begun along great rivers, and Indonesia has many rivers. Let us protect them,” AHY stated. The Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development added that the Democratic Party will also launch the ‘Langit Biru Indonesia Asri’ (Blue Sky, Beautiful Indonesia) movement on Friday. The programme will focus on cleaning beaches and other polluted areas across various regions. “This is a movement; if we were talking about rivers earlier, this one focuses more on cleaning beaches, but not only beaches. In other places, slum areas, dirty areas, let us get involved, not just Democratic Party cadres but also the wider community, including schoolchildren, to clean up,” AHY said. According to him, both movements are a form of support for the government’s efforts to create a cleaner, healthier, and more comfortable environment for the community.