Deputy Minister Viva: Transmigration Land Must Be Clear, Clean, and Free

LAHAT — Deputy Minister of Transmigration Viva Yoga Mauladi visited the Kikim Transmigration Area in Lahat Regency, South Sumatra Province, on Monday (13/7). His arrival at Sukoharjo Village, Kikim Timur District, was warmly welcomed by transmigrants, school pupils, teachers, village heads, Muspika, Muspida, members of the regional parliament, Lahat Regent Bursah Sarnubi, Deputy Regent Widia Ningsih, and other regency and provincial officials.

Deputy Minister Viva officiated the ‘Construction and Rehabilitation of School Facilities in the Transmigration Area’. In his remarks, he revealed that transmigrants from Java arrived in Lahat in 1982, with 400 families placed in settlement unit 1 and 500 families in settlement unit 2.

The transmigration programme then continued until 2016 with the placement of transmigrant residents. After 44 years, the area that was once forest has now become a village with various facilities. “In the past, transmigration was carried out top down, or directly through central government programmes,” said Deputy Minister Viva Yoga in a written statement on Wednesday (15/7).

He explained that transmigration today is carried out in a bottom-up, decentralised manner, on the initiative or desire of the regional governments themselves. “It has been proven that transmigration is able to create growth areas, as evidenced by 60 proposals from regents to open new transmigration areas,” he said.