Palu investing to harvest natural resources

While Palu municipality leaders Mayor Rusdy Mastura and Deputy Mayor Andi Mulhanan Tombolotutu have faced criticism for poor performance during their two years in office, the administration says it is focused on a long-term development plan.

“Physical developments have been so-so, and there have not been any significant changes. It’s still the same as before,” an observer of urban issues from Tadulako University, Slamet Riyadi Cante, said Thursday.

Mulhanan, meanwhile, explained that his administration was pushing to develop human resources, the impacts of which would not be immediately noticeable.

According to Mulhanan, Palu has an abundance of natural resources, none of which could be utilized without skilled people to manage them.

“That’s why we are committed to improving development through improving human resources,” Mulhanan told The Jakarta Post in Palu on Thursday.

As part of its commitment, there are currently 96 students from Palu at the President University in the Jababeka Industrial Zone in Bekasi, West Java.

“They received scholarships on behalf of a joint venture between Palu municipality and PT Jababeka,” he said.

Mulhanan added Palu municipality was also working to encourage vocational school (SMK) students in Palu to study in China in cooperation with Beijing University, as part of its commitment to launch a cell phone plant in Palu.

“We have encouraged the SMK students studying at Beijing University to adopt the principle ATM [take, copy and modify]. They learn how to dismantle and assemble cellular phones and then copy and modify them to apply this technology in Palu. This is a long-term investment,” he said.

In November this year, at least 18 SMK students from Palu were sent to Beijing. Based on a selection process before going to China, the students were able to dismantle and assemble cell phones of various brands.

“They will broaden their knowledge in modification and other technologies. God willing, they will organize a cell phone production demonstration in Palu in January,” Mulhanan said.

In the field of physical development and services, Palu municipality has provided permits for the construction of nine star-rated hotels this year, six of them in the building stage, namely Hotel Santika, Silk Stone, Mercure, Best Western, Intercontinental and Aston.

The boom in luxury hotels in Palu had had a positive impact on the province, along with the growth
of a number of oil and gas and plantation companies in several buffer zones, including in Banggai regency, Parigi Moutong in Central Sulawesi and North Mamuju regency in West Sulawesi.