West Java Governor Vows to Eradicate Thuggery Plaguing Development Projects
Jakarta — West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has spoken out about thuggery in the province, stating that the practice has taken root down to the local government level.
Dedi made the remarks after signing an agreement with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) on the revitalisation of 20,000 hectares of fish ponds along Java's north coast (Pantura). He stressed that the pond revitalisation in West Java is a strategic project that must not be disrupted by anyone, including criminal extortionists.
"Our duty as the provincial government is, firstly, to explain to the public that this is a strategic project. Strategic projects must not be interfered with. Because in the past in West Java, whenever people heard about a project, everyone from village heads to various other parties saw it as money," Dedi said at the signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Agreement on the Pantura Pond Revitalisation Programme at the KKP office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, 25 June 2025.
Dedi explained that various development activities in West Java have been tainted by extortion. He affirmed that the revitalisation project would be kept entirely free of thuggery, so that it could benefit fishermen — from employment in aquaculture operations and pond management to working in production processing.
"Vehicles entering must pay, unloading rocks must pay, installing nets must pay. This thuggery in West Java must end — finished, gone, no more," Dedi added.
The government plans to revitalise Pantura fish ponds over the next two years, covering a total area of 78,550 hectares. This year, the government is targeting the revitalisation of 20,413.25 hectares across four West Java regencies: Bekasi, Karawang, Subang and Indramayu.
Of this total, Bekasi has 8,188.49 hectares of prospective pond land, Karawang has 6,979.51 hectares, Subang has 2,369.76 hectares, and Indramayu has 2,875.48 hectares — the majority of which is state-owned land earmarked for revitalisation.
Dedi made the remarks after signing an agreement with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) on the revitalisation of 20,000 hectares of fish ponds along Java's north coast (Pantura). He stressed that the pond revitalisation in West Java is a strategic project that must not be disrupted by anyone, including criminal extortionists.
"Our duty as the provincial government is, firstly, to explain to the public that this is a strategic project. Strategic projects must not be interfered with. Because in the past in West Java, whenever people heard about a project, everyone from village heads to various other parties saw it as money," Dedi said at the signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Agreement on the Pantura Pond Revitalisation Programme at the KKP office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, 25 June 2025.
Dedi explained that various development activities in West Java have been tainted by extortion. He affirmed that the revitalisation project would be kept entirely free of thuggery, so that it could benefit fishermen — from employment in aquaculture operations and pond management to working in production processing.
"Vehicles entering must pay, unloading rocks must pay, installing nets must pay. This thuggery in West Java must end — finished, gone, no more," Dedi added.
The government plans to revitalise Pantura fish ponds over the next two years, covering a total area of 78,550 hectares. This year, the government is targeting the revitalisation of 20,413.25 hectares across four West Java regencies: Bekasi, Karawang, Subang and Indramayu.
Of this total, Bekasi has 8,188.49 hectares of prospective pond land, Karawang has 6,979.51 hectares, Subang has 2,369.76 hectares, and Indramayu has 2,875.48 hectares — the majority of which is state-owned land earmarked for revitalisation.