NORTH KALIMANTAN PROVINCE EXPECTED TO BE ESTABLISHED IN 2013 by Fardah

     Jakarta, Nov 5, 2012 (ANTARA) - Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, will soon have its 34th province as the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government have officially endorsed the establishment of  North Kalimantan Province.

         The North Kalimantan Province will consist of five districts, namely Bulungan, Malinau, Nunukan, Tarakan, and Tana Tidung. Tanjung Selor will be its capital city.

          East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak recently expressed his hope that the establishment of North Kalimantan Province will be realized in 2013.

         The idea to set up North Kalimantan Province was first suggested five years ago.

         It had been suggested that the East Kalimantan Province should be bifurcated in order to be more effective in securing the country's border and in managing development in northern Kalimantan, which is part of East Kalimantan - the country's second-largest province.

         On October 25, 2012, in a plenary session led by the its Speaker, Marzuki Alie, the House of Representatives (DPR) endorsed North Kalimantan Province as a new autonomous region, after bifurcating it from the East Kalimantan Province, which is a very large and resource-rich province.

         The new province will share its border with the Malaysian states of Sabah and Serawak in its north and west; the Makassar Strait and the Sulawesi Sea in the east; and East Kalimantan in the south.

         Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission II, Agun Gunanjar said the Parliament hoped that regional division could be a solution to optimize public service and shorten the range of government control so that the local administration would be more effective and efficient.

          Northern Kalimantan's remote villages located along the border are almost untouched by development because of the great distance from the centre of the East Kalimantan provincial administration in Samarinda.

         "North Kalimantan will be a gateway to Malaysia, the southern Philippines and Brunei Darussalam. Therefore, the province is strategically located to counter threats against the sovereignty of the nation from neighbouring countries," Gunanjar said.

         He further stated that the establishment of the new province is also expected to prevent Malaysia from making territorial claims on Sebatik Island.

         The bill on the province mandates the home minister to hold a gubernatorial election within the next nine months.

          The central government has not yet allocated a regional budget but the new province is expected to receive initial financial support amounting to a total of Rp455 billion.

         The East Kalimantan provincial administration will receive a sum of Rp300 billion, the Bulungan district will receive a sum of Rp50 billion and Tarakan, Nunukan, and Malinau will each get funds of Rp35 billion.

         Hetifah Sjaifudian, a legislator representing East Kalimantan Province, hailed the formation of the new province.
The lawmaker, who visited remote areas along the Malaysian border in northern Kalimantan, said the development of infrastructure and public facilities such as roads, schools and health posts were very unsatisfactory.

        She further stated that the North Kalimantan Province is expected to help strengthen the sovereignty of Indonesia and protect the country's territorial integrity.

    She expressed optimism that the creation of the new province will help boost development activities, improve public services and increase the people's welfare.
    East Kalimantan's Berau district head, Makmur also expressed his support for the creation of the North Kalimantan Province in the hope that it will held further the interests of the people.

         "Regional autonomy will help accelerate development and improve the people's welfare," Makmur added.

         He further stated that the formation of the new province is also expected to improve the government's services towards the public.

    Secretary to the Nunukan district administration, Tommy Harun said in Nunukan recently that most of the districts to be part of the North Kalimantan Province are located near the border between Indonesia and Malaysia.

         He hoped that the government will help develop infrastructure in the northern Kalimantan region, which has huge potential for development in the fields of agriculture, plantation, fishery and mining.

         He added that electricity supply is desperately needed for economic development in North Kalimantan.

        "I think the supply of electricity in the border area has been a big problem so far. Hopefully, the creation of the new province will help matters," he said.

         According to him, the new province will also need seaports and an airport because the region is difficult to reach by land.

         Nunukan district, which is near the border shared between Indonesia and Malaysia, includes Sebatik Island. The island is one of the district's richest areas and is waiting for investors to develop its oil reserves.

         Welcoming the development, Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said, "These areas are rich in oil, gas and mining. Thus, the new local administration can focus on efforts towards improving the people's welfare."
    The parliament's endorsement of North Kalimantan province and four new districts, namely Pangandaran (West Java Province), Pesisir Barat district (Lampung Province), South Manokwari (West Papua Province) and Pegunungan Arfak district (West Papua Province), will ensure that Indonesia will soon have 529 autonomous regions, comprising 34 provinces, 402 regencies and 93 municipalities. The total population of Indonesia is 237 million. ***1***
(f001/INE/O001)