JAKARTA (TheInsiderStories) - President Joko Widodo held a cabinet meeting Tuesday (June 14) on finding ways to accelerate Papua’s economy and map out plans to develop Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Sorong, West Papua.
Presiden Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stresses that the economic development in Papua and West Papua in particular needs to be accelerated. This can be done not only by building roads, bridges, airports and ports, but also create industrial zone and economic growth centers. Therefore, vessels, as part of the ‘sea toll, that distribute goods to the region will not come back empty, but full of products ready to be delivered to other parts of Indonesia.
“I request that the ‘sea toll’ will be fully integrated with industrial zone and integrated with production centers in Papua,” President Joko Widodo said at the coordinating meeting.
To realize the plan to develop the Sorong SEZ, the President asks his ministers to prepare location, zone, infrastructure including electricity, transportation and supporting agencies. “Our experience in developing Batam SEZ should give us a lesson. I don’t want the agency to manage the SEZ would hamper the development of the SEZ and its authority would not overlap with local government’s duties,” the President said.
The meeting was attended by VP Jusuf Kalla, Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, Industry Minister Saleh Husin, Public Works Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Trade Minister Thomas Lembong, West Papua deputy governor and Sorong Regency Head and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli.
Minister Rizal Ramli said the development of Sorong SEZ is part of the government’s drive to narrow the gap of economic development in eastern and western Indonesia. He hopes the local governments would assign location to develop the SEZ, which was first initiated eight years ago and revived in 2014. (*)