Home Minister Seeks Stronger Coordinating Authority for Border Agency
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, desires the National Border Management Agency (BNPP) to possess more imperative authority to coordinate border issues of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) with neighbouring countries.
According to him, managing national borders is a component of the national defence system. If border regions are prosperous, well-off, and their communities possess high levels of nationalism, then the territory of the NKRI will be difficult to infiltrate.
“Our country has borders that I have stated are complex. Why? Because it is the largest archipelagic nation,” said Tito following a meeting with Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) at the parliamentary complex, Jakarta, on Monday.
In terms of land territory, he noted that Indonesia shares direct borders with three countries: Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. Regarding maritime borders, he stated that Indonesia borders seven other nations.
Given these conditions, he remarked that efforts to monitor islands within the territory of the NKRI are not easy. Indonesia, he said, differs from other large land-based nations such as China, India, or the United States.
“We are based on an archipelago. There is no land connectivity from Sabang to Merauke. This is our complexity,” he said.
He argued that the BNPP needs to be strengthened because the agency finds it difficult to coordinate other agencies of equal status or local governments. By possessing greater authority, the BNPP could orchestrate programmes to accelerate development in border regions.
“This is one of the mandates from the President to develop border areas,” he added.
Furthermore, he encouraged the House of Representatives (DPR) to form a Special Committee (Pansus) for Border Regions, following the previous formation of a Working Committee (Panja) by Commission II of the DPR RI. He believes that a Special Committee for Border Regions would involve all commissions within the DPR RI to discuss various issues in border areas.
“Automatically, the resolution of the aforementioned problems—issues regarding roads, logistics, borders, disputes, for example, the construction of markets, schools, education, and so on—can be tackled collectively by all ministries and agencies when the Special Committee convenes,” he said.