President Jokowi’s Leadership Era Gives Birth to the Golden Age of Indonesia’s Infrastructure Development
By: Aditya Prayudi )*
The era of the leadership of the President of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) Joko Widodo (Jokowi) for two terms, from 2014 to 2024, is known as the golden age of infrastructure development in Indonesia.
President Jokowi has laid a strong foundation to accelerate development in various sectors, especially infrastructure, which has become the driving force of economic growth and public welfare.
President Jokowi’s policy of placing infrastructure development as a top priority has had a significant impact on the country’s progress, bringing Indonesia closer to its goal of becoming a developed country.
As a form of appreciation for the achievements during the 10 years of President Jokowi’s administration, especially in the fields of construction and investment, the Indonesian National Construction Implementation Association (Gapensi) awarded the President as the Father of Indonesian Construction for the success of significant infrastructure development.
The Director General of Construction Development of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Abdul Muis said that the infrastructure development that the government is intensifying is very important to be able to catch up.
For information, currently Indonesia’s world competitiveness or competitiveness in the infrastructure sector has continued to rise in rank, from the previous 34 to 27.
Not only infrastructure, but the government is also building energy, transportation, agriculture, settlements, information technology, communication infrastructure, all of which have been largely completed and the community has greatly benefited.
Meanwhile, the General Chairperson of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian National Youth Committee (DPP KNPI), Dr. Ilyas Indra also gave his highest appreciation for the work program of President Jokowi and Vice President K.H. Ma’ruf Amin during his 10 years in office.
The Head of State has succeeded in carrying out various extraordinary infrastructure developments to make Indonesia an increasingly advanced country. Not only success in the infrastructure sector, but there are also other programs that deserve high appreciation such as in the economic sector and the development of the National Capital City (IKN) of the Archipelago in East Kalimantan Province (Kaltim).
On the other hand, Public Policy Observer from UIN Alauddin Makassar, Jalaluddin B. also gave his appreciation for the government’s efforts in the era of President Jokowi’s leadership to equalize development throughout Indonesia.
The development policy in the country during the leadership of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia was indeed one of them through equalizing infrastructure development to all regions so that it had a positive impact, such as shifting investment from what was previously mostly in Western Indonesia, now to Eastern Indonesia.
President Jokowi realized the importance of toll road infrastructure as the lifeblood of transportation and economic distribution. With the presence of a wide toll network, logistics costs can be reduced, travel time between regions is drastically reduced, and accessibility between regions increases. This not only strengthens connectivity between islands and big cities, but also opens up new economic opportunities for previously isolated regions.
As the largest archipelagic country in the world, Jokowi realized the importance of building strong maritime infrastructure to support his vision of making Indonesia the world’s maritime axis.
The construction of new ports and revitalization of existing ports are important priorities. With the development of better ports and maritime networks, Indonesia is increasingly integrated with the global market, strengthening the competitiveness of the national economy.
In addition to transportation and maritime, energy infrastructure has also become one of the main focuses of development in the Jokowi era. The 35,000 MW electricity project is one of the ambitious projects launched to ensure the availability of electricity for all Indonesian people.
The construction of power plants in various regions, including new renewable energy such as hydroelectric power plants and solar power, is bringing Indonesia closer to energy independence.
A wider electricity network also allows access to electricity for remote areas that were previously unreachable. This is an important step in ensuring equitable development throughout the country, supporting local economic growth, and improving the quality of life of the community.
In his two terms of leadership, President Jokowi has led Indonesia to make great strides in revolutionary infrastructure development. The ambitious projects initiated and completed over the past 10 years are not only symbols of physical progress, but also economic drivers that strengthen Indonesia’s competitiveness on the international stage.
Under the leadership of the Surakarta-born man, infrastructure has not only become a tool to improve connectivity and mobility, but also a means to accelerate social, economic, and cultural development throughout Indonesia.
With equitable development, the Head of State is not only building bridges, ports, and roads, but also building a stronger, more inclusive, and highly competitive future for the nation.
The infrastructure that has been and will continue to be built is an eternal legacy that will be enjoyed by future generations, a solid foundation for Indonesia to achieve its dream of becoming a developed country in 2045.
)* The author is an observer of socio-political issues
