Govt to continue infrastructure development: President Jokowi

Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said his government will continue to build infrastructure, both small and large scale, considering that infrastructure is the foundation and fundamental to improving Indonesia’s economic competitiveness. “I am still going to continue this program,” he stated at the 7th anniversary of the Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI) on Wednesday.
Many parties have questioned the government’s policy of building a lot of infrastructures, such as the construction of toll roads, ports, and airports, he noted. “Many of them ask the purpose of this program. They say that people do not eat asphalt. But once again I emphasize, we want to compete with other countries,” he remarked. Indonesia must be able to compete with other countries by increasing economic growth, encouraging competitiveness, and creating many job opportunities, President Jokowi said.
With this aspiration, infrastructure is the foundation and a fundamental requirement for increasing competitiveness, he explained.
“Because for me road infrastructure means welfare. If there is no road, there will be no infrastructure and no products,” he remarked.
He said the impact of infrastructure development will not be seen in the short term. However, with the presence of infrastructure, Indonesia already has the foundation to compete with other countries in order to improve people’s welfare, he added. Furthermore, the Head of State emphasized that the government should not only build large-scale infrastructure, but also pay attention to small-scale and rural infrastructure. In the last five years, fund transfers to villages reached Rp 400.1 trillion, he noted. In addition, the government has also built 227 thousand kilometers of village roads during the same period, he informed. “We also pay attention to small infrastructure such as village roads. Until today, we have transferred Rp 400.1 trillion to villages in the last five years to build village roads, reservoirs, irrigation, bridges, public markets, and village-owned enterprises or BUM Desa,” he added.