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Maritime issues ‘less sexy’ for candidates in Riau Islands’ gubernatorial race
Contenders for the Riau Islands' 2020 race to the governorship have all made scant remarks on plans to develop the maritime sector, in spite of the archipelagic makeup of the province and its proximity to contested seas and neighboring countries.
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Indonesian warship KRI Tjiptadi-381 (right) and KRI Teuku Umar-385 (left) take a sailing pass in the Natuna Sea, Riau Islands province, on Jan. 15. (Antara/M Risyal Hidayat)
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lthough the area of Riau Islands is dominated by sea, maritime issues are yet to receive a special place from candidate pairs competing for the province’s top office in the upcoming regional election on Dec. 9.
Economic engines remain the hot issues and are considered effective to attract prospective voters, the majority of whom are in Batam, an emerging transport hub and the largest city in the province.
Strategies for the development of the maritime sector were superficially reviewed by three governor and deputy governor candidate pairs during a public debate held on Nov. 20.
The three pairs only briefly mentioned the term “maritime sector” in their visions and missions but did not provide a strong commitment to make the sector a major offer for economic development and community welfare in their work programs.
The first pair, Soerya Respationo and his running mate Iman Sutiawan, focused more on developing and optimizing new economic sectors and other regional potentials, as seen in their mission points.
“We have 10 priority programs, but the most urgent with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic is to provide a long-term, interest-free loan program for the informal sector, as well as small and medium enterprises,” Soerya said.
Soeryo was the Riau Islands deputy governor from 2010 to 2015 and has served as chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle’s (PDI-P) Riau Islands chapter for three periods. Iman has served as deputy chairman of the Batam Legislative Council (DPRD) and chairman of the Gerindra Party’s Riau Islands chapter.
