The Governor of North Kalimantan (Kaltara) shared his disappointment and frustration over how people living near the Indonesia-Malaysia border have to rely on Malaysia for basic necessities.
Zainal Arifin Paliwang said he finds it embarrassing that people in the area rely more on a neighbouring country than their own, according to Sinar Harian.
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They use makeshift bridges to get supplies through
Zainal also pointed out that the roads and bridges in the area are in such bad shape that residents have no choice but to build temporary log bridges together, just to make sure basic supplies can get through.
“I’ve personally experienced the land journey from Malinau to Krayan, which took 3 days and 2 nights. In fact, we had to sleep by the roadside because our vehicle got stuck in the mud and could only be pulled out using heavy machinery during the rain,” he said
Due to the difficult access, prices for basic goods have shot up. A single bag of cement in Krayan can cost as much as Rp900,000 (RM273), almost the same as in the most remote parts of Papua.
To help ease the burden, the North Kalimantan government sets aside around Rp15 billion (RM3.9 million) every year to subsidise the cost of transporting people and goods to these border areas.
Zainal Arifin Paliwang
Plans underway for new route to ease delivery of supplies
However, Zainal said the subsidy amount might have to be cut this year because of the central government’s cost-cutting measures.
In an effort to reduce dependence on Malaysia, he suggested giving special status to vehicles owned by Krayan residents that carry Malaysian license plates, similar to what is done in Batam and Sabang, so they still fall under Indonesian oversight.
He also mentioned that there are plans to build a new route connecting North Kalimantan and East Kalimantan to help move basic supplies from Samarinda, which would ease their dependence on Sarawak.
“Developing infrastructure in border areas is key if we want to strengthen national sovereignty and make sure everyone gets fair treatment,” he stressed.
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Also read: Man Shares The Jarring Difference in Road Quality Between Malaysia & Indonesia at Borneo Land Border
