Leading Aspeksindo, Mempawah Regent Commits to Realising Two Transformations

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Mempawah Regent Dr Erlina, SH, MH has been officially installed as the General Chairman (Ketum) of the Association of Island and Coastal Regional Governments of All Indonesia (Aspeksindo) for the 2025-2030 period. The installation was officiated by the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono at the Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta, on Tuesday (14/4/2026).

Regent Erlina was confirmed alongside the Secretary General (Sekjen) of Aspeksindo Dr Safaruddin (Regent of Southwest Aceh), General Treasurer Mochamad Nur Arifin (Regent of Trenggalek), as well as dozens of regents and mayors from across Indonesia as members of the Aspeksindo Board of Directors.

According to Erlina, Aspeksindo was established as a linkage institution between the central government, local governments, the business world, and coastal and island communities. All these elements synergise within a collaborative development ecosystem.

“Aspeksindo is present as a strategic hub, not just as an association of regional heads, but also as a bridge between grand national visions and concrete implementation at the local level,” said Erlina in front of hundreds of island and coastal regional heads from across the country, quoted from a written statement on Wednesday (15/4/2026).

Erlina emphasised that Aspeksindo’s direction aligns with national development and the spirit of President Prabowo Subianto’s Asta Cita. In the Head of State’s vision, she continued, economic independence, strengthening downstream processing, and development based on domestic resources are an inevitability.

“The sea is no longer just a geographical space, but a strategic space for the economy, geopolitics, and national sovereignty,” said Erlina.

During the management period, Erlina committed that Aspeksindo will set its main focus on two pillars of transformation, namely accelerating marine downstream processing in regions and implementing sustainable blue economy. Both aspects drive economic independence and welfare, especially in coastal cities/regencies in Indonesia. The Regent of Mempawah stressed that added value must remain in the regions and be enjoyed by local communities, including fishermen, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and coastal residents.