MP: It's Time for the Government to Build New Sea Access to Bali

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Iman Sukri believes it is high time for the central government to build new sea access routes to Bali. “I think it’s time for the government to seriously develop alternative ports from or to Bali. We cannot continue to rely solely on Ketapang-Gilimanuk,” Iman stated in a confirmed statement in Jakarta on Thursday. Furthermore, Iman said that building new sea access to Bali is necessary due to the continuously increasing traffic burden that is disproportionate to the available infrastructure capacity at present. Iman made this statement in response to the recurring congestion conditions at the two ports serving as the Java-Bali crossing route. Meanwhile, he proposed various options for opening new access that he deems more representative and sustainable. For instance, he said, opening routes to northern Bali, either through the Bangsring area in Banyuwangi, East Java (Jatim), or by strengthening the role of Jangkar Port in Situbondo, Jatim, as an alternative crossing hub. “Developing access to northern Bali could be a solution to break up the concentration of vehicle flow. This is important to avoid extreme build-ups at one point as we see today,” he explained. Nevertheless, he reminded that efforts to build new sea access should still consider the local wisdom of Balinese communities, particularly regarding opposition to the construction of a Java-Bali connecting bridge. He also hopes that the central government will promptly conduct a comprehensive study and follow up with concrete steps so that Java-Bali connectivity becomes more reliable, safe, and capable of supporting regional economic growth.