Facing Migration Surge, Batam Mayor Seeks DPR Support for Special Population Law
Batam Mayor Amsakar Achmad has proposed the formulation of a special policy, or lex specialis, in the field of population administration for Batam City. The proposal was made during a specific working visit by Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) at Graha Kepri, Batam, on Wednesday, 8 July 2026.
Amsakar, accompanied by Deputy Mayor Li Claudia Chandra, attended the meeting which focused on supervising the governor’s role as the central government’s representative in the regions. Discussions included the implementation of national priority programmes, President Prabowo Subianto’s strategic projects, as well as land and spatial planning sectors. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Bima Arya Sugiarto, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Ossy Dermawan, Chair of Commission II DPR RI Muhammad Rifqinizamy Karsayuda, Governor of the Riau Islands Ansar Ahmad, and other regional leaders from across the Riau Islands.
During the session, Amsakar highlighted the challenges Batam faces as a national strategic area experiencing rapid population growth driven by high migration. “Based on the latest data from the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration, Batam now ranks second nationally for the highest migration rate after Bekasi. This condition is in stark contrast to Batam’s limited land area,” Amsakar stated. He explained that the continuous population increase is putting pressure on the environment and basic infrastructure, particularly the availability of clean water, electricity, and other public services. If not managed properly, he warned, these conditions could lead to social problems that might affect the investment climate.
Amsakar argued that Batam requires special regulations in the field of population administration. He noted that conventional approaches to population control could potentially create legal issues and be perceived as discriminatory. “Batam cannot solely rely on its special status as a Free Trade Zone (FTZ). We hope the central government and Commission II of the DPR can formulate a lex specialis for population administration for regions like Batam, so that migration control can be carried out appropriately without ignoring citizens’ constitutional rights,” he said.
Beyond population issues, Amsakar also reported on the progress of the Sekolah Terintegrasi Merah Putih, a national strategic project. He explained that the city government has prepared approximately 18 to 19 hectares of land for the school’s construction. The project, valued at around Rp160 billion, will be fully financed by a private consortium, and all assets will be handed over to the state upon completion.
Amsakar also expressed support for strengthening the governor’s role as the central government’s representative through clearer delegation of authority, including the management of Vocational Training Centres (BLK) and reservoirs, to avoid overlapping authority between central and regional governments. He affirmed that the synergy between the Batam City Government and the Batam Indonesia Free Zone Authority (BP Batam) has been running in accordance with regulations governing land authority and licensing services within the FTZ.
Responding to the inputs, Chair of Commission II Muhammad Rifqinizamy Karsayuda stated that all aspirations from the Riau Islands Provincial Government and Batam City Government would serve as important material for national policy formulation, including the revision of the Regional Government Law and the discussion of the Draft Law on Island Regions. He added that these regulations are expected to create more adaptive governance while advocating for a fairer General Allocation Fund (DAU) formula for island regions.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Bima Arya Sugiarto stressed the importance of synchronising population administration and structuring the decentralisation system, which is targeted for completion by the end of the year. He suggested that urbanisation control in Batam be supported through more integrated spatial planning by adopting the Finger Plan concept implemented in Copenhagen. Deputy Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Ossy Dermawan also emphasised the crucial role of regional heads as coordinators in resolving land conflicts through the Agrarian Reform Task Force (GTRA) and encouraged the acceleration of the Spatial Planning Law revision to facilitate faster, more effective, and adaptive investment processes in the regions.