Rich Kutai poor in infrastructure, facilities

Rich Kutai poor in infrastructure, facilities

By Anton Sudarisman

KUTAI, East Kalimantan (JP): Radiman stared in distress at his
truck, trapped in a muddy road for four hours. He tried
to tow it, but it would not even start.

What Radiman worried most about was the vegetables on the
truck. If they rotted before they could be delivered to market he
would lose a week's pay.

Radiman is one of the many drivers in East Kutai, East
Kalimantan, who is frustrated by the muddy and potholed roads
connecting small towns in the regency. Some of the muddy holes
are wide enough to trap vehicles. The hole where Radiman's truck
became stuck is about 1.5 meters deep and 100 meters long.

Bengalon, Kaliorang and Sangkulirang are three of the smaller
towns in the regency badly affected by the poor road conditions
in the area. Tens of thousands of residents are left with poor
and expensive access to other towns. As transportation is
infrequent, prices of basic needs have soared.

Local farmers feel it hardest of all.

"We grew good rice and vegetables this year, but we cannot
sell them," says Pailing, who lives in Sangkulirang.

"I grew pumpkins, but they were left to rot since I couldn't
get a truck to transport them to the market," says Jumiun,
another farmer in the village.

Meanwhile, Ruslan, a farmer in Kaliorang, has left his corn in
sacks for three months while he waits for buyers. "Corn prices
have dropped to only Rp 500 per kg, but still nobody can carry it
to the market," he says.

Poor public roads and other facilities have been a paradox for
people in Kutai Timur, East Kalimantan. The regency is blessed
with a multitude of natural resources, particularly coal, gold
and timber. In 1999, the regency generated US$31 million in
government revenue from a coal contract operating in the area
alone. The company also contributed some Rp 300 billion in value-
added tax.

East Kutai is also rich in timber, with thousands of cubic
meters sent to various destinations in Indonesia, legally or
otherwise, every day. The forest also supports material for a
plywood factory operating in Bengalon.

Despite the abundant wealth, public facilities are poor in
this region. Of hundreds of kilometers of the Eastern Trans-
Kalimantan road connecting small towns in the regency, only a
fraction of the 30 kms are paved. The quality of asphalt is poor
and easily damaged by the rain.

Ironically, electricity is a problem. While the area exports
12 million tons of high-quality coal to power generators across
Asia and Europe, people dwelling in the area live with no or very
limited electricity. Only those living in Sangatta, the capital
of East Kutai, receive electricity round-the-clock. People in
Bengalon and Sangkulirang only have electricity at night, while
most inhabitants live with no electricity at all.

"With that handsome fortune, the government should have built
more decent facilities such as a road to help farmers sell their
products," said local NGO activist Eddy Halid. He added that
clean water and schools also were badly needed.

Halid asserted the government was slow in addressing public
interests. Many of the big muddy potholes along the roads, for
instance, have been left untouched for months. "The local
government has been ignorant while it's too busy talking about
politics," he said.

Three months ago farmers in Sangkulirang staged a protest to
bring their plight to the attention of East Kalimantan Governor
AF Suwarna. He visited the area for a harvest ritual.

"We don't ask for a hot-mixed road. We simply ask for a
hardened and well-maintained road so that we can take our
agricultural products to nearby towns," Abdullah, a farmer who
took part in the protest, said.

Suwarna promised he would pay immediate attention to the
situation.

"However, we haven't seen any action taken. The holes are
still there after months. We don't see the government is serious
about helping us," says Abdullah.

The acting regent of Kutai Timur, Awang Ishak Faroek,
explained the road project in his area was not yet his
responsibility.

He said it should be taken care of by Kutai Induk, the parent
regency. "We don't have any money at the moment," he explained.
Awang said he asked Kutai Induk to monitor contractors who were
responsible for the road maintenance work.

While officials debate who is responsible for the development
of their area, road drivers and thousands of people living in the
area are frustrated by the poor roads.

"We don't know how to express our disappointment," Daliyo, a
farmer in Bengalon, told The Jakarta Post. "If you happen to meet
Gus Dur, please ask him to listen to our plight. Please see the
East Kalimantan people not as a land with rich natural resources,
but think of its people who are left with such poor public
facilities."