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Developing infrastructure in a democracy
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Illustration of a construction site. (Shutterstock/File)
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ricewaterhouseCoopers, the global professional services network headquartered in London, recently published its long-term global growth projections to 2050 on 32 of the largest economies in the world. It projects China to lead the world’s four largest economies, followed by India, the United States and Indonesia.
Projections necessarily rely on trends and assumptions, and this one clearly underlines the high expectations for Indonesia.
Since 1998, we have been on the path to democracy. There have been setbacks and doubts along the way, but nothing like the suffocating oppression of the Soeharto years.
Challenges abound even today, but we have proven capable of forging our way toward a more complete democracy. The country’s current leaders are far removed from the culture of corruption of the past, and genuine development has captured the public’s attention. Infrastructure development is proceeding at a heady pace on land and at sea, building highways, railroads, harbors, airports and power plants.
We need a good government and political stability to sustain these development efforts. As the people gear up for the presidential and legislative elections in April, an important drama is playing out in the lush forests surrounding the Batang Toru River. A hydroelectric power plant is being prepared to face the electricity needs that the government has projected for the many years to come.
The choice is hydropower, because it is sustainable and much cleaner than other alternatives. Since its multifaceted approval from the government and numerous special agencies, detailed engineering plans have been drawn up to construct a river power plant.
It is specially designed to benefit from the free-flowing river and will not use a conventional reservoir. This will avoid the risk of submerging villages and thousands of people, as conventional hydroelectric projects normally do in Java and other parts of the world.
The government has approved the project because it is designed to minimize disruption to the natural and social environments of South Tapanuli’s Batang Toru district.
Infrastructure is key to development, but in a democratic society, decisions must be based on popular consensus. It has been a win-win game to genuinely reflect the will of the people. This requires participation and understanding between the project developers and its many stakeholders. Ultimately, investors must appreciate that in our democratic system, diverse perspectives are a necessary foundation for a major infrastructure project.
Open communication is essential, because there are many questions about the project and equally as many answers. Concerns were addressed before the government approved the North Sumatra Hydroelectric Project on the Batang Toru River. The primary concerns were the survival of the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan, the risk of earthquakes and the integrity of the natural and social environments.
Blessings come with responsibilities. Only 800 Tapanuli orangutans are left in Batang Toru. Scientists attached to the project have tracked the movements of the great ape to make sure they will not be endangered by the construction and operation of the future power plant. The government has deployed a monitoring team to record the orangutans’ daily activities.
Civil society groups are also watching other matters closely. They are making sure that all decisions support sustainable development. Everybody stands to gain from maintaining the integrity of the area’s natural and social environments.
Project engineers have made risk management their overriding concern from the outset, with studies and government supervision. All are addressing concerns about the dangers of earthquakes.
Most importantly, the river-powered technology depends on the health of the ecosystem that supports the healthy flow of the river.
Clean energy is the major advantage of hydropower, and makes this the energy choice that overrides any other alternatives. Clear benefits and precautionary measures support the choice, and constant monitoring on the ground should keep the project on track.
International scientists occasionally offer their views on issues related to the project, which are predominantly sectoral in focus and made at a distance. It is important that these views be taken in context with the knowledge acquired on the ground. To their credit, the government is committed to keeping discussions open to the public, within reasonable limits.
It is up to the project’s developers to establish and maintain full and honest communication with the public so the Batang Toru project can proceed to its successful completion. It is a difficult and arduous path, but in Indonesia’s democracy, this is the way by which to provide infrastructure to meet the people’s needs.
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The writer is a consultant at InterMatrix Communications, which advises indigenous rights and advocacy group AMAN.
