The investment development project on Rempang Island, Riau Islands is aimed at creating prosperity for the wider community. The community welfare in question is very broad, one of which is the massive absorption of labor specifically in the Rempang, Galang and Behind Padang areas, which will reach 30 thousand people. Apart from that, this project will also improve the quality of Human Resources (HR) in the Rempang Eco City project area.
Head of the Free Trade Zone and Free Port Development Center (KPBPBB) and the Batam Entrepreneurship KEK (BP Batam), Irfan Syakir said that the investment development project on Rempang Island had a positive impact on the local community. Not only from the workers’ side, investment is also a top priority in the development of this project in order to encourage greater community welfare. The development of Rempang through investment is considered to be a new economic engine for Indonesia.
The government is investing in the Rempang development project so that it can compete with other countries. Minister of Investment/Head of BKPM, Bahlil Lahadalia, said that so far large investors are still entering the Rempang project, one of which is the Chinese company, Xinyi Group. The total investment commitment reaches US$ 11.6 billion or around IDR 182.12 trillion (at an exchange rate of IDR 15,700).
He ensured that the investment made by Xinyi Group would be integrated even though there were other groups investing in Rempang apart from Xinyi Group. With investment from Xinyi Group, there will be many company developments in various fields in the quartz sand processing ecosystem. Because in the future, Rempang will prioritize “Green Energy”, it will really need solar panels.
There is an industrial development ecosystem that manages the downstream quartz sand in Rempang, so this project will really need investment from the Xinyi Group because the company works in the fields of silica sand processing, solar panel glass industry, float glass industry, industrial grade silicon industry, crystal processing industry, etc. cell and solar module industry.
Bahlil Lahadalia has guaranteed that there will be economic benefits for many people. These benefits include increasing the value of exports and increasing the added value of the trade balance, such as nickel downstreaming. As a result, several job opportunities will expand, state income will increase, the multiplier effect that occurs will also increase, and there will be added value obtained from Indonesia’s trade balance.
Meanwhile, the Head of BP Batam, Muhammad Rudi, said that his party had collaborated with two universities in Batam, namely Batam Polytechnic and Ali Haji University to open special faculties needed by companies that would invest in this project, so that they could become workers in there. His party will also build vocational schools equivalent to vocational schools in community areas affected by the development of Rempang Eco City.
The central government will continue to support BP Batam’s steps to compete with foreign countries through investment. By prioritizing the maritime economy, fishermen’s results can be used for their own regions without having to gain profits from other regions.
With an investment value estimated to be quite large, the Rempang Eco City project is believed to be able to provide an escalation for improving the quality of life of the Rempang community through increasing micro, small and medium economic activities (MSMEs). This growth in investment realization will be balanced by the involvement of MSMEs. Strategic partnerships between large companies and MSMEs will continue to be developed in the Rempang area so that investment entering the area will have a positive impact on development and the people’s economy.
All of this development process will involve MSMEs, for example MSMEs for staple goods and food which enter the global supply chain which has the potential to increase the opportunities for MSMEs to move up in class.
Meanwhile, in terms of infrastructure, Rempang will be neatly arranged and become a developed area. Equitable development in Rempang has experienced an escalation and an improvement in the quality of life of local residents. It is certain that infrastructure development will make it easier for people to carry out their activities, and the level of social life of the Rempang Community will grow and become even.
Apart from that, this project will create legality for residents’ residences in the Rempang area. Good residential planning will be integrated with public facilities and sustainable infrastructure. As a result, the community will be helped by long-term ecological and social health problems.
The efforts made by the Government to increase investor interest in entering Indonesia clearly greatly support the improvement of the national economy, especially the economy in the Rempang region. This investment is also able to improve the welfare and standard of living of the local community so it is hoped that it can strengthen its support for the Government in advancing Rempang Island through the Rempang Eco City project.
