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