The Irony of Buton Asphalt: PU Minister: Even China Uses It, Why Don't We?

Imagine you have an oil well in your backyard, but every day you queue up and pay dearly to buy petrol from your neighbour. Ironic? That is the real picture of infrastructure development in Indonesia today. Behind the smoothness of thousands of kilometres of toll roads and national highways showcased by the government, there lies an irony. Minister of Public Works, Dody Hanggodo, revealed the fact that 80 per cent of the asphalt we use is imported petroleum asphalt (asmin). Yet, the world is “not doing well”. Conflicts in the Middle East and global geopolitical dynamics have caused energy prices to soar uncontrollably. “Dependence is a risk. In national development, risks must be managed very disciplined so that costs do not explode,” Dody emphasised when answering questions from Kompas.com on Wednesday (2/4/2026). We are trapped in the global market scheme, whereas the solution is right in front of our eyes: natural asphalt from Buton Island (Asbuton). Indonesia is the owner of the world’s largest natural asphalt reserves, centred on Buton Island. Based on data from the SIMPK of the Ministry of Public Works, our reserves reach 694 million tonnes. Mathematically, this treasure is capable of supplying national road needs for centuries to come. However, the utilisation of Asbuton currently is only 4 per cent. The rest? We prefer to contribute foreign exchange to other countries. Look at China. As the world’s infrastructure giant, they actually import Asbuton from Indonesia to build their toll roads. The result? Toll roads in China are far more durable and have higher durability compared to pure petroleum asphalt.