Banten eyes brighter future independent of Java

By David Eyerly

JAKARTA (JP): The people of Banten, located some 80 kilometers west of Jakarta on the western tip of Java, campaigned hard for it, yet even they must have been in a state of shock when their goal finally was achieved.

Disbelief in Banten and West Java would sum up the reaction to the decision by the House of Representatives in October 2000 to approve the bill making Banten, a former region of West Java, a separate province.

Banten province is Indonesia's 28th first-level administrative region. The fledgling province will be made up of four regencies (Serang, Pandeglang, Lebak and Tangerang) and two mayoralties (Tangerang and Cilegon). The capital will be Serang.

The new province, as mapped out in the bill, occupies 8,200 square kilometers and has a population of over nine million.

Despite the rigors of convincing the province of West Java to allow Banten, and its revenue, to leave the fold, the really difficult work undoubtedly lies ahead for Banten's leaders and its people.

The task now is to make Banten an economically and socially viable province, something which may be made even more difficult with the enactment of regional autonomy in January 2001, leaving the new province even further out on its own.

It is most certainly a time to sink or swim for Banten, and the province has several lifelines it can cling to, although it also has its share of deadweight which could pose a problem.

Education

Province-building is no doubt a difficult job that requires extraordinary leadership and a capable populace. What Banten province lacks, according to some experts, is an educated workforce.

University of Indonesia economist Bambang Brodjonegoro said Banten had to develop an educational system that would be able to produce an educated populace. Currently, the province has only one university, the private Tirtayasa University in Cilegon.

According to Bambang, a 1999 survey showed the majority of the areas four-million workforce was illiterate, and about 22 percent of the population was unemployed.

In Lebak and Pandeglang regencies, he said, about 32 percent of workers were elementary school dropouts.

A member of the Banten regional development office said the area had few public high schools and Islamic boarding schools, in addition to the one university. As a result, students who wish to pursue a higher education must travel outside of the area to attend school.

"Parents are still reluctant to send their children to school because of historical hatred," he claimed.

The parents view the schools to be the products of the Dutch colonial era, and so they rather send their children to Islamic boarding schools.

These figures and statistics certainly paint a grim picture, and it remains to be seen if the provincial administration of Banten will be able to provide the quality education its people require to contribute to the development of the province.

However, Banten certainly is not beginning this newest phase of its existence with a blank slate. Indeed, in many ways, Banten is further developed than many provinces in the country.

Industry

Banten, strategically located near Jakarta and on the coast of West Java, just a short hop from Sumatra, has become a hub for the chemical industry in the country.

An official at the industry and trade ministry said Banten offered investors several advantages: it is ideally located and appealing to foreigners with its leisure and recreation areas.

He went even further in predicting great things for Banten.

"The business climate in Banten is more developed (than in other industrial areas in the country). Banten also has promising seaports. Also, the ability to socially accommodate industrial activities is much higher in Banten. Someday, it will be able to become like Japan or Hong Kong, which are poor in resources but rich in intellectuals."

An executive at PT Tri Polyta Indonesia (TPI), which operates a plant in Banten, shared his view of the advantages of operating in the area, so ideally located near Jakarta but still far enough removed to be able to accommodate the chemical industry.

"The raw materials for chemical-related industries include gas, so the industries are not supposed to be located in Greater Jakarta. Also, most of the downstream industries are located in West Java, which means transportation costs are reasonable."

However, both men were of the opinion that the local administration had much work to do to cement Banten's reputation as a leading industrial area. They urged the administration to build and foster such supporting services and businesses as banks, which would help cut production costs for the surrounding industries, making them more competitive internationally.

They also called for a concerted effort to improve the infrastructure in the area, an area the local authorities already are focusing their attention on. When discussing available infrastructure in Banten, one must start with Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Though owned by Jakarta, the airport is located in Tangerang, part of Banten province. Despite the generally negative view of the airport, having a fully functional international airport will certainly prove beneficial to Banten.

Located on the coast and home to numerous industries, seaports are valuable commodities for the province, and Banten boasts its share. There is Merak Port, with three piers and 23 ferries carrying passengers and goods across the Sunda Strait. There also are more than 30 seaports owned and operated by some of the private companies operating in Banten.

State railway company PT Kereta Api operates several trains on an extensive network that connects most of the area. The network of toll roads connecting Banten with Jakarta has probably had the most positive impact on the area.

Accessing Banten has become significantly easier with the Jakarta-Merak toll road, which includes a 26-kilometer toll road connecting Jakarta and Tangerang, a four-kilometer toll road in Ciujung and 8.4 kilometers of toll road in Serang. While these toll roads have made life much smoother in many parts of Banten, once you get away from the main roads and into the rural areas of the province, the roads can be a bone-jarring experience.

While this may not have a devastating impact on industries, which generally are located near the main, better-maintained roads, the vital tourist industry in Banten can be expected to suffer if infrastructure throughout the province is not improved.

Seeing is believing

Tourism in seen by Banten as a key to the future prosperity of the province. This is not merely wishful thinking, considering the area boasts numerous natural attractions and historically significant sites and artifacts, a tribute to the importance the area played in the long history of the archipelago.

When discussing the attractions found in Banten, most people start with Ujung Kulon National Park. A World Natural Heritage Site, the park boasts an impressive array of flora and fauna, including the extremely rare Javan rhinoceros.

Another attraction for animal lovers is Pulau Dua. This bird sanctuary hosts thousands of birds from numerous species during the breeding season.

There is also much marine life in the waters off the province, as well as beautiful beaches for those who prefer to stay on land, particularly around the popular Anyer, Carita and Tanjung Lesung resort areas.

Also of interest is the Baduy village, where the Baduy continue to live much as they have for hundreds of years. There are also numerous historical sites in the province, from Chinese temples and mosques to the royal graves of the sultans who ruled Banten hundreds of years ago.

However, if tourism is to be exploited to its maximum by Banten, obstacles like poor infrastructure and security concerns will need to be overcome.

Purnomo SP, an official at the Banten Tourism Promotion & Development Board, when asked about the current state of tourism in Banten, said: "It's not too good at this time ... because of the crisis and the security problems. We have not had problems in Banten, but if we promote Banten, we cannot only promote Banten but Indonesia. The destination is Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta, (so) people say oh .... "

"And the problem in Banten is an infrastructure problem. When we go to the Baduy village, the road is very bad. And that's still the problem in Banten."

Purnomo said the development board worked with the government to promote tourism in the area, and sees Baten's new status as a province as a positive step. "Tourism will get better support from the (local) government because they will see it has a lot of potential .... The government will concentrate on tourism."

Another man closely involved with tourism in the area, Katamsi Nurrasa of Banten World International Tours & Travel, said he has seen some hopeful signs recently that tourism, mirroring the country's improving economy and security situation, was picking up. "I see the tourists are coming, very slowly, but they are coming. The number of tourists is increasing.

"(There are) very many local tourists, especially at the end of the year. But from outside it is not yet like that, but they are coming .... I met many foreigners (in Ujung Kulon) and I asked them about the situation. I get the impression they feel safe that they can come here ... they don't feel afraid anymore."

Banten is experiencing heady days, indeed. It separation from West Java to become its own province, just in time for the enactment of the regional autonomy law, has placed in its path numerous obstacles, as well as opportunities. A school system unable to educate properly the populace, and an infrastructure system that can be jarring in areas are just some of its problems.

But Banten begins this newest phase of its history with numerous assets that point to a bright future for the area. With the promise of increases industrial activity and tourism, the province has a solid base on which it can begin building a future that will benefit all of the people of Banten province.