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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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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.
The pair is backed by the PDI-P, Gerindra, as well as the National Awakening Party (PKB), with a total of 15 seats in the Riau Islands DPRD.
The second pair, Isdianto and Suryani, offered a vision to realize the province as the “Mother of the Land of Melayu” that was bright, religious and superior in the maritime sector, but they did not elaborate on the maritime development in their six work programs.
“We will continue development in the education and culture sectors,” said Isdianto.
Isdianto is the incumbent Riau Islands governor, the younger brother of former governor Muhammad Sani who died after a few months in office. Suryani is a politician from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and has sat for two terms in the Riau Islands DPRD. The pair is backed by the PKS, the Hanura Party and the Democratic Party, owning 13 seats in the regional council.
The last pair, Ansar Ahmad and Agustina Marlin, wanted to create a prosperous, competitive and cultured Riau Islands under 10 work programs, none of which offered a specific and new idea for the maritime sector.
“We will provide capital assistance for SMEs, fishermen, farmers and breeders every year,” said Ansar.
Ansar, a member of the House of Representatives from the Golkar Party, was the regent of Bintan for two terms. Agustina is the wife of Batam Mayor Muhammad Rudi. The pair is backed by Golkar, the NasDem Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP), owning 17 seats in the DPRD.
Economic observer and lecturer from the Batam International University (UIB), Suyono Saputra, argued that the three candidate pairs had not regarded the maritime sector as a territory worth special attention and development, although in fact, 96 percent of Riau Islands was the sea.
Prospective regional heads’ visions and missions are the reflection of their actual work programs later when they were elected, and a lack of thoughtfulness would only shatter the high expectations of the public, Suyono said.
“All the candidates are too focused on the Batam special economic zone (KEK), even though the development of the maritime sector in developed countries produces much greater economic value,” he said.
Politically, added Suyono, the issues of Batam remain appealing because 1.3 million out of 2 million prospective voters in Riau Islands were in Batam, a growing industrial island that is in very close proximity to Singapore.
Riau Islands province also includes the Natuna Islands chain, which borders the disputed South China Sea and is accessible to seafarers from Indonesia's neighbors, such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo once staged a symbolic Cabinet meeting on a warship in the Natunas in his previous term, which observers took as a warning sign for other countries that seek to exploit Indonesia's maritime resources or impinge on its sovereignty.
Apart from the gubernatorial election, several areas in the Riau Islands, namely Batam, Bintan, Karimun, Lingga, Natuna and Anambas Islands, will also hold simultaneous regional elections this year. Most incumbents are still running. (syk)
