Transmigration

Transmigration

From Neraca

Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo has made an important breakthrough in the transmigration sector. The business sector welcomes the minister's idea as an excellent policy. He praised the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra for their readiness to leave their hometowns and live in other parts of the country, or even in foreign countries, such as Australia and other Southeast Asian or Pacific nations. Siswono appeals to the people of Java, Madura, Bali and Lombok to transmigrate. This is very important in the effort to reduce the population density of those four islands.

My question is how about the transmigrants' future welfare. What can they do in their new settlements? To transmigrate to Batam is promising. But I doubt the conditions of the other transmigration sites. Let me give an example. Bontang, a town in East Kalimantan, is known as an industrial town. But this town barely grows. On the other hand, it tends to become less hectic. The officials working in Bontang return to Java after their terms of office come to an end. Bontang does not seem to appeal to them.

Self-motivated transmigrants should be encouraged to transmigrate, but they must be sure that they will land at the right place.

PONIJO

Jakarta