Regent revs up Kepulauan Seribu tourism
Regent revs up Kepulauan Seribu tourism
Djoko Ramadhan Tjakrawardana will be installed on Monday as
the new regent of Kepulauan Seribu, replacing Abdul Kadir. He
will become the second regent of the recently established
regency, also known as the Thousand Islands, which will celebrate
its third anniversary on Nov. 9. Djoko was formerly the deputy
regent of the Kepulauan Seribu regency, which has an area of
6,997 square kilometers (10 times the total Jakarta surface area
excluding the regency).
Djoko graduated from the Bandung Institute of Technology in
1977 and studied urban planning for one-and-a-half years in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He spent most of his career behind the
draftsman's table drawing development plans. He chaired the North
Jakarta Planning Board for three years, and then spend another
two years on the equivalent agency in Central Jakarta.
He shared his views with The Jakarta Post's Damar Harsanto,
stressing that the development of marine tourism and aquaculture
would be his top his priorities. Here is the highlights of the
interview.
Question: As the new regent, what are your plans for developing
the regency.
Answer: I will speed up the development of the marine tourism
sector and aquaculture in the regency. These two sectors are the
areas with the greatest potential that still remain untapped. As
for the tourism sector, the regency has 49 islands out of a total
of 106 islands that are earmarked to be developed as resorts, but
so far only nine have been developed. We also have a great
resource in the form of 2,000 hectares of sea that is less than
two-meters deep. This could be used for the development of
aquaculture.
Why you think the development of these sectors is crucial to
the overall development of the regency?
We have conducted a series of studies on the existing
conditions in the regency. We also invited various stakeholders,
like non-governmental organizations, academics and the private
sector, to take part in these studies. Based on the results, we
arrived at the conclusion that we need to develop these two
sectors. The islanders will greatly benefit from aquaculture. We
expect that the development of these two sectors will benefit
local people.
What are your immediate plans for developing marine tourism?
We will proceed with our plan to rebuild a 930-meter-long
airstrip on Panjang island. This island is situated in the center
of the other islands, which is important for tourists who want
easy access to the other islands.
The construction of the airstrip is necessary to provide an
alternative to small boats and ferries, which are often forced to
tie up if high winds or rough seas are affecting Jakarta Bay.
I have talked to the Indonesian Association of Travel Agencies
(IATA), airport operator PT Angkasa Pura, Ministry of the Culture
and Tourism, and the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association
(PHRI) about the idea, and they've all welcomed it.
How about aquaculture?
Starting next year, we will initiate a pilot aquaculture in
200-hectares of shallow water around Semak Daun island. The
project will be undertaken in cooperation with the Bogor
Institute of Agriculture . The project will consist of seaweed
cultivation, fish farming and fish breeding. I am also looking
into the possibility of involving the University of Indonesia's
School of Psychology to help local fishermen accept a change from
catching fish in the open sea to aquaculture.
As the new regent, what problems do you see that could hamper
the development of the regency?
The biggest problem is the environment. Jakarta Bay has long
been a huge dump for Jakartans. If Jakarta residents do not stop
dumping their waste into rivers, we will never enjoy clean island
beaches and crystal clear water. I will urge the Jakarta mayors
to help tackle this problem.
Still about the environment, I am also very concerned with the
recurring oil spills in the bay due to the operations of oil
companies. Law enforcement agencies, in this case the Office of
the State Minister for the Environment and the police, must take
immediate action to stop the pollution.
The participation of local communities is essential to the
development of the regency, but a higher level of education will
be needed. The fact that most locals here spend their time
studying religion rather than the sort of knowledge that is
relevant to their island environment is another problem here.
That's why improvements in education will also be a priority for
me. I have started to cooperate with various institutions, like
the Sahid University and the Bogor Institute of Agriculture
(IPB), to manage the tourism and aquaculture sectors
respectively.
Thousand Islands Profile
Area
land area: 869.71 hectares
area under water: 6,997.50 square kilometers
islands : 106
- two districts
- six subdistricts
- 24 community units
- 119 neighborhood units
Population: 20,000 people
Source: Kepulauan Seribu regency