Member of DPR Commission VII Pushes for Development of Roro Dumai-Melaka

Pekanbaru - A member of the Indonesian House of Representatives’ Commission VII, Hendry Munief, is pushing the government to promptly realise the development of a Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) crossing from Dumai in Riau Province to Melaka, Malaysia, as Indonesia’s international hub. In a statement received in Pekanbaru on Monday, Hendry Munief said the government currently plans to tap into the potential of short-haul tourists from Southeast Asia as an alternative to the declining visits from Europe and the United States (long-haul). “The short-haul potential (short trips) such as Southeast Asia is very realistic to pursue at this time. And Riau is very worthy as Indonesia’s international hub. Amid fluctuating world oil prices that are unstable and tend to continue rising, one alternative is the sea route. Therefore, we propose that the plan to build the Roro Dumai-Melaka be activated immediately,” said Hendry Munief. He assessed that the strategy to chase the ‘short-haul’ market will not succeed without maximising the potential of the nearest regions from the targeted countries. What can be pursued is not only tourist potential but also the industrial sector, where the Ro-Ro sea route is currently cheaper. “With easy access, it will increase the level of visits and investments to Indonesia. Moreover, the dominant ASEAN market of the Malay ethnic group has cultural closeness with the Malay-based Sumatra region,” he emphasised. He also conveyed that the existence of the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road supports this programme. This is because the toll road in Dumai is connected to all provinces on Sumatra Island.