By: Randi Basuki) *
Infrastructure development is the government’s focus under the leadership of Joko Widodo. The development aims to improve the welfare of the people and realize equity in the entire territory of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.
Occasional Professor of UI Economist Fithra Faisal said that the infrastructure built had a positive impact on the social and economic side. Some of the projects referred to are electricity projects that have succeeded in providing information on 1.7 million new households, clean water and irrigation projects that have been able to increase water capacity to 10,140 liters / second. The project has fulfilled clean water needs for 1.5 million households or 5.8 million people. In addition, the irrigation project is also capable of irrigating 96 thousand hectares of rice fields.
Outside the household, infrastructure projects also prioritize connectivity such as roads, airports and ports. With the existence of airport infrastructure projects, whether new or renovated, service capacity can increase to 37.5 million passengers each year. In the urban transportation sector, the government managed to add 80 electric train fleets. The beru transportation facilities have an impact on increasing the capacity of 7.3 million passengers each year.
The positive impact was not only felt by residents around the project, but also the entire community, said Fithra.
Minister of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), Basuki Hadimoeljono said that the big benefits of all these infrastructure will only be seen in the next few years. Aside from being a long-term and sustainable driver of the economy, adequate infrastructure will also help boost Indonesia’s competitiveness with other countries. As well as reducing poverty.
Basuki also told about construction workers who were working on infrastructure projects. He explained that the workers did not need to worry about thinking about living expenses at this time, because they have a steady income for at least 5 years.
Meanwhile the Chair of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) Sri Adiningsih said that infrastructure development is something important and needed for the community. Development is one way to prosper and educate the life of the nation.
“We need infrastructure, how can we be smart if there is no electricity and internet,” said Sri.
According to Sri, infrastructure development also has an impact on improving social welfare in the border area, he said that the face of Indonesia’s borders today is better than the previous era. “Maybe first we were embarrassed to see the border area in Kalimantan, but now many people take their hat off to Indonesia,” he said.
Infrastructure development is a concern of the government towards the fate of the nation that wants progress, it is fitting for the community to welcome development that continues to be encouraged.
Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) Perry Warjiyo explained that the benefits of infrastructure development would accelerate the development that had been carried out so far such as the construction of toll roads, airports to ports.
“Infrastructure development that can rapidly increase economic growth in the medium to long term, can reach 6.5%,” Perry said at the Indonesia Investment forum’s press conference.
Furthermore, infrastructure financing through private channels such as bond issuance, shares helped expand investment instruments so that domestic and foreign investors could participate.
In achieving this, BI cooperates with the government so that Indonesia’s economic stability is maintained by convincing investors.
Residents of Ngajaran Village also participated in enjoying the Jokowi era development cake. The village head of Ngajaran Yoso Prayitno said that infrastructure development had begun to be intensified since 2015. His party accommodated the aspirations of the community through development planning meetings.
In the village of Ngajaran there are six hamlets which are currently smooth connecting roads between the hamlets. In addition, his side also repairs the houses of residents who are inadequate, “for the past 9 years we have helped to develop them into decent houses,” said the village secretary, Kiswanto.
Residents claimed to be happy with what had been built in his village. Because it facilitates their activities. Like irrigation channels, which help farmers work in the fields. Currently residents do not need to take water from the river to drain the fields.
The majority of Ngajaran villagers have a livelihood as farmers, factory workers, and construction workers. The area of the village happened to be close to the factory so many productive-age residents worked in the factory.
Infrastructure development was also felt by one of the residents who worked as a factory worker, “I am only a junior high school graduate. Alhamdulillah, I can work in a factory and have received an UMR salary. It’s enough to revive the family, “said Dika Sulistio, a resident of Ngajaran village who works as a factory worker.
The Secretary General of the Indonesian Construction Implementation Association (Gapensi), Andi Rukman Karumpa, stated that infrastructure development so far had an impact on the smoothness and price stability. The impact of the development has already been felt, sea tolls, ports, airports, information in the regions can be controlled.
With a variety of infrastructure development that continues to be encouraged, of course the public must continue to be optimistic that Indonesia can become a developed and empowered country.
*) The author is an observer of Social issues