Jakarta, IO – Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus “AHY” Harimurti Yudhoyono emphasized that Indonesia must build strong national capacity to become an influential middle power on the international stage.
“Indonesia should be an influential middle power,” he said during a speech at the 17th National Convention of the Indonesian Association of International Relations (AIHII) at President University in Bekasi Regency, Tuesday (Oct. 13).
AHY said his ministry’s main focus in building national capacity was to ensure coordination among five ministries: the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas, the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Transmigration.
“All of this is aimed, first, at building resilience while moving toward self-sufficiency in food, energy and clean water,” he said, emphasizing the importance of ensuring food supplies so Indonesia would not depend on products from other countries.
He said energy resilience meant not only meeting demand but also innovating in the use of clean and renewable energy. Water security also needed attention amid the growing threat of climate change.
The second priority was infrastructure to improve people’s quality of life. The Government is seeking to improve education by revitalizing schools. Community health centers and hospitals are being built and upgraded in both rural and urban areas to improve health services. Efforts are also underway to eliminate slums and build other supporting facilities.
“The third is infrastructure to support connectivity and economic growth. Indonesia must be connected across its regions. There is no alternative but to strengthen multimodal transportation by land, including railways, as well as by air and sea, to reach the country’s vast territory, lower logistics costs and reduce overall development costs,” he said.
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The fourth priority was infrastructure to strengthen environmental resilience. AHY said Indonesia needed to address various challenges, including waste management, the impacts of seawater intrusion, rising sea levels and land subsidence.
“Lastly, equitable development will help our people feel that they live in a just country. We must not allow some regions to prosper while the number of poor people there continues to grow. This means there is a gap between economic growth and the equitable distribution of prosperity,” he said.
The Indonesian Association of International Relations (AIHII) holds its National Convention annually to discuss global issues, raise public awareness and contribute ideas to the direction of Indonesia’s foreign policy. This year’s convention, themed “Beyond Fragmentation: Power Constellations, Innovation and Future Global Governance,” brought together around 200 participants from 70 universities.
Caption: Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono at the 17th National Convention of the Indonesian Association of International Relations at President University in Bekasi Regency, Tuesday (Oct. 13). (bpk)
