Development stalls along border areas as govt offices struggle with manageme

The Jakarta Post ,  JAKARTA   |  Fri, 05/29/2009 11:52 AM  |  National

A lack of communication between government agencies has been blamed for stalling development along border areas, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) said in Jakarta on Thursday.

During a seminar at the Defense Ministry on progress at border areas shared by Indonesia and Malaysia, Suprayoga Hadi, director of special and remote areas at Bappenas, said as many as 26 governmental institutions had rolled-out 33 programs along the country's land and marine borders.

The ministries with border programs include the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Agriculture, among others.

He said they had not demonstrated any coordination or integration when running these programs, leading to a waste in resources as programs are abandoned with little impact felt in the communities.

"There is little communication among the offices," Suprayoga said.

Harmen Batubara from the Defense Ministry told the audience that while on duty several years ago in Entikong, the border between Indonesia and Malaysia in Kalimantan, Indonesia seemed on the right track to significantly developing the area.

"Indonesia was *on fire', years ago, showing its intention to compete against Malaysia by building high and luxurious offices in many areas along the border," he said.

But as time went on, he said, Malaysia started taking the lead.

"They seemed to have sustainable and comprehensive plans to develop the territory near the border.

"Now, they have successfully built their area very well. They have malls and other entertainment centers where Indonesians in Entikong also shop," he said.

To make matters worse, Suprayoga said, the border line with Malaysia, particularly along Kalimantan, was still plagued by unofficial entrances.

"Through these gates, people enter Malaysia without passports or visas," he said.

"Can you imagine how complicated it is *to manage*?" he asked.

Suprayoga said Indonesia's lack of coordination had caused massive disparity between the people living on each side of the border.

"This disparity is striking because they only live meters away from each other," he said.

Bappenas has proposed forming a Border Development Management Body, whose task would entail coordinating the involvement of governmental institutions around border areas.

"Hopefully, the body will be active by next year," he said.

Observers have warned that huge differences in prosperity between people on both sides of the border has prompted Indonesian citizens to leave Indonesia and change their nationality in search of a better life.

Bilateral ties between the two countries were discussed recently when it was revealed Malaysia had recruited Indonesian citizens to join its paramilitary forces to safeguard its border interests. (bbs)

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