Article 33 Indonesia in mid-2019 began carrying out a study with the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture related to strengthening the role of sub-districts in border areas. On December 10 2019, initial dissemination of the study was carried out with the dissemination theme entitled "Border Area Development: Security or Welfare Perspective?". The dissemination was attended by: (1) Risfan Munir as the study researcher; (2) Wijanarko Setyawan who is Assistant Deputy for Strategic and Special Area Empowerment, Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture; (3) F. Gatot Yanrianto Assistant Deputy for BNPP Maritime Border Potential.
This study is motivated by the weak role of sub-districts in development in border areas, even though sub-districts should be the main actors capable of coordinating development from the lower and upper levels (village and district). Apart from that, a stronger role for sub-districts is also needed so that the stigma of border areas which were originally the country's backyard can change to become the country's frontier areas. The study was conducted in two regions, namely Serdang Bedagai (Sergai) and North Central Timor (TTU) Regencies. The number of Lokpri in TTU is much greater, covering 7 sub-districts compared to Sergai which only has 1 sub-district, namely Tanjung Beringin. However, the lokpri in Sergai is strategic because of the existence of Berhala Island, with a distance of 22 miles, expanding the sea area from only 12 miles. Lokpri in TTU shares a land border with Timor Leste in the Oecussi enclave area.
Over the last five years, border area development policy has remained inward looking, but gradually this has begun to change to outward looking. This means that border areas are the gate or front porch in our relations with neighboring countries. Article 33 Indonesia researcher Risfan Munir explained that the government's focus on Lokpri sub-districts provides benefits because this approach allows the budget to come from above, namely ministries/institutions (K/L) at the national level and regional government organizations (OPD) at the provincial and district levels. or from below, namely the village, with the existence of village-owned enterprises (Bumdes) and village funds. This convenience is aimed at reducing the level of isolation of the Lokpri area.
Assistant Deputy for Strategic and Special Area Empowerment of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Wijanarko Setyawan, explained the framework for coordinating development and welfare in border areas. In this case, the Coordinating Ministry-PMK focuses on encouraging the acceleration of basic services. In general, conditions of isolation and limited access at the border lead to poverty and a lack of basic services. Each district is tasked with providing basic services, by making border areas part of regional development. As an illustration, in total throughout Indonesia there are 187 Lokpri sub-districts spread across 13 provinces and 41 districts/cities covering 1,674 villages/kelurahan, spread almost evenly across western (65), central (60), and eastern (62) Indonesia. Regarding the condition of border areas, the Human Development Index in 2015-2018 shows an increase in growth in both underdeveloped areas (3,46%) and border areas (2,89%) exceeding the growth of the national HDI (2,65%). In contrast to what has been said, Wijanarko stated that there are contradictions in development at the border. In Sintang Regency, most of the border areas are conservation areas, making development difficult. There are also indigenous peoples who have not received legal protection.
BNPP Assistant Deputy for Maritime Border Potential, F. Gatot Yanrianto, highlighted another aspect of border area issues, namely regarding security and the environment. For the record, Indonesia's land border reaches 3,152 km with a coastline length of 99,900 km or second in the world after Canada. Indonesia has land borders with 3 countries, namely Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste, while sea borders with 10 countries.
There are 4 main aspects in border management. First, managing state territorial boundaries, including, among other things, settling land, sea and air boundaries and their utilization. So far there are 2 boundaries that have not been agreed upon in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), while there are still many sea and air boundaries that have not been agreed upon. Second, management of cross-border borders, including preventing border crimes, illegal trafficking and terrorism. Third, development of border areas, where the dominant problem is electrification. Almost all problems at the border, especially on islands, require generators to be available, plus fuel supply problems. Apart from that, sufficient internet networks are needed by border areas as school exams are now computer based. Fourth, institutional management, requiring the formation of BPPD which requires the existence of Regional Regulations (Perda), requires intense consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs in the formation process.
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