Public Works and Housing prioritises people's infrastructure
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Investor Daily: PUPR tetap prioritaskan infrastruktur kerakyatan
22 October 2019
By: Tri Murti
Jakarta – The Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry will keep prioritising various people’s infrastructure programs as they can improve interregional connectivity that is in line with the Indonesia-centric concept.
“Besides massive infrastructure, the PUPR Ministry is also tasked with constructing people’s infrastructure,” 2014-2019 PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said in his official statement in Jakarta on Monday (21/10).
Minister Basuki said that people’s infrastructure construction could directly benefit citizens, such as construction of suspension bridges, subsidised houses, slum improvements, drinking water supply systems, and sanitation facilities. Besides that, he said that the PUPR Ministry was also supporting the economic growth of villages by providing basic infrastructure with cash for work scheme.
Several people’s infrastructure programs which are implemented with cash for work scheme through the Human Settlements Directorate General of the PUPR Ministry are City Without Slums (Kotaku), Regional Infrastructure for Social and Economic Development (PISEW), Community Based Sanitation (Sanimas), Community Based Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation (Pamsimas), and Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Waste Treatment Plant (TPS-3R).
PISEW is implemented by the PUPR Ministry through the Human Settlements Directorate General to lower the discrepancy between regions, eradicate poverty, reorganise regional governments (regency, district, and village), and strengthen community institutions in villages.
Generally, infrastructures built by funding from PISEW are meant to facilitate farmers in transporting produce of agriculture, plantation, and fishery. The construction is carried out by local village residents, without hiring contractors.
Nationally, in the span of four years (2015-2018), PISEW has reached 1,664 districts, while the 205-2019 target is 2,564 districts. In 2018, PISEW program is carried out with a budget of Rp540 billion.
From the amount, most of it is used for road construction, which is 84.9% of the total budget or Rp447.69 billion, while the rest is used for drainage, bridge, clean water and sanitation facility, and boat mooring constructions.
Previously, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution said that the government would construct infrastructures that were integrated with economic centres in the second term of Joko Widodo administration.
Darmin said that, until now, construction was too focused on the backbone, so the focus would be shifted to infrastructures connecting the backbone, such as people’s produce, industrial areas, special economic zones (SZE), or national strategic tourism plans.
“In the next period, the government will still build infrastructures with a note that it connects backbone with economic centres,” he said.
Learning from Kazakhstan
On the other hand, PUPR Minister Basuki revealed that the competition for the new capital city design took notes from Kazakhstan as it had implemented a similar thing. Indonesia is assessed that it could learn from Kazakhstan’s experience when it was arranging the plans for Nur Sultan or Astana, which also held an international competition for the design of the capital city.
He said that the main plan for Nur Sultan was divided into three zones, namely the supporting zone which is the green belt, the city centre zone, and the urban development zone.
“Similar to Indonesia, the scope of the assessment for the competition covers design ideas for the central government area which is 2,000 ha to 6,000 ha, the capital city area which is around 40,000 ha, and the capital city expansion area which is 180,000 ha in total,” he said.
With the competition, he said that his agency expected that the participants could express their ideas to transform every criterion to the design of the city that was being dreamed about and could be realised together.
He said that the new capital city must be designed as a futuristic city with a smart metropolis concept. It is a place for the best national and international talents who will live and work in the city.
“So, the city must possess all the best facilities in Southeast Asia, including education, health, technology, and research,” he stated.
Besides being designed as a smart city, the design of the new capital city must show the nation’s identity, which is translated into the city’s design philosophically by the pillars of nationalism, namely Pancasila, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), NKRI (Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia), and the Constitution of Indonesia. The registration period for the competition is extended until 21 October 2019, adjusting with the on-site briefing schedule.
Previously, the registration was going to end on Friday (18/10/2019), since it was opened on 3 October. However, the registration is extended as there is a briefing in Jakarta on 18 October and an on-site briefing at Semayang Port in East Kalimantan on 21 October 2019.
“There are 672 participants, which is far from expectation. And [the registration] is still open until 21 October, [the number of participants] can increase to 700 participants,” Deputy Chairperson of the Capital City Design Competition Danis Hidayat Sumadilaga.
The Human Settlements Director General of the PUPR Ministry said that the participants of the competition came from all over Indonesia. However, most of the participants, 184 participants in total, hail from Jakarta. The total number of participants is followed by West Java, Banten, and East Java, as well as other regions.
