Sulawesi governors ink road map

Sulawesi governors ink road map

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Four governors in Sulawesi island has concluded a meeting in the
North Sulawesi capital of Manado, declaring that they would focus
on restoring security in the riot-torn city of Poso to pave the
way for development both there and across the island.

Separately, Gorontalo Governor Fadel Mohammad asserted that
development had to be stimulated in Sulawesi in order to lift
more than 3 million Sulawesi people out of poverty.

Friday's meeting was organized by the Sulawesi Regional
Development Coordinating Body (BKPRS), which has become a forum
for the governors in Sulawesi to discuss security and development
issues on the island.

The meeting, the second so far, was attended by North Sulawesi
Governor A.J. Sondakh, Gorontalo Governor Fadel Mohammad,
Southeast Sulawesi Governor Ali Mazi and South Sulawesi Deputy
Governor Yasin. Also in attendance was Minister of Home Affairs
Hari Sabarno.

Governor of Central Sulawesi Amiruddin Ponulele, in whose
province the ravaged town of Poso was located, was the only
governor absent from the meeting.

In an agreement made public after the meeting, the governors
underlined the importance of restoring security to Poso.

"Paying serious attention to Poso will help restore security
in the area, which can help create stability in the entire island
in support of the island's development," said the agreement, as
quoted by Antara news agency.

Poso was rocked by sectarian violence in 2000, but the
violence, which killed some 2,000 people, has continued unabated
in the religiously divided town until now, despite a peace accord
signed by the warring parties two years ago.

For example, a recent attack by masked gunmen in Morowali
district, Poso, killed at least nine people.

Meanwhile, in the current accord, the provincial governments
also agreed to draw up a vision for the development of
agribusiness and the fishing industry in 2010 to enable the
provinces to compete with foreign competitors in the global
market.

The governors also agreed to encourage regional development
and joint exploitation of natural resources.

In order to stimulate equal and just regional development, the
governors agreed to develop a mode of transportation that would
increase public mobility and the flow of goods from one province
to another in support of the regional economy.

Lastly, the governors agreed to promote tourism, so that it
would increase the number of tourists going to the island, as
well as foreign investment.

Meanwhile, BKPRS chairman Fadel Mohammad said after the
meeting that some 22 percent of a total 16 million people in
Sulawesi were still living in poverty.

He blamed the poverty on misguided policies during the New
Order government, which prioritized development in Java and
neglected it in the outer islands, including Sulawesi.

In order to reduce the poverty rate, the governments in
Sulawesi had to work collaboratively to attract investors to the
island and spur development there, he said.

Separately, Hari told the meeting participants that the
provincial governments had to avoid producing local regulations
that would create a high-cost economy for investors. He also
urged the governments to make the local bureaucracy more
efficient.