Developing Indonesia's east

Developing Indonesia's east

From Pikiran Rakyat

There is indeed a great gap yawning between the development of the western and the eastern parts of Indonesia. Experts from many disciplines have analyzed the gap and have provided proposals on how to resolve the problem. But our level of success is questionable.

What is wrong with our concept of development?

When development started in the 1970s, Indonesia's east had no infrastructure to speak of -- neither roads nor harbors -- so development funds went to the western part.

A commitment to developing Indonesia's eastern part is needed, and should be based on the understanding that only through the acceleration of development efforts will eastern Indonesia be able to catch up with the western part of the country. Eastern areas should receive fiscal incentives, lower bank interest rates and other business facilities. Infrastructure should be built or expanded. Natural human resources abound. There is enormous potential for investment in marine, forestry, plantation and mining enterprises.

Indonesia's eastern regions should not copy the ambitious development of Batam, off Sumatra, which focuses on long-term industrial technology, and extensive, external cooperation. Development should be based on a regional scale. Indonesia's eastern regions should make use of the potential of the high technology which is located near to them.

The eastern part should also be autonomous. Social aspects should be emphasized by including the community in each development activity. In this way the development failures which marginalized the "little people" in Indonesia's western areas would not be repeated in the east.

I am convinced that under these conditions Indonesia's eastern regions would have the opportunity to catch up with the nation's west. Now is the right moment to wake Indonesia's east from its long sleep.

DENY HENDAYA

Banjar, West Java