Introductory Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia At the Limited Cabinet Meeting (Through Video Conference) on Acceleration of the Patimban National Project, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java Province

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Distinguished Vice President,

Distinguished Cabinet Ministers.

I have reiterated that the North Coast of Java, which is already connected to the toll road, must become our economic super-corridor because the infrastructure facilities are more ready, so that every industrial area, tourism area, and agricultural center must be connected to the toll road.

To that end, in the Limited Cabinet Meeting this morning we will discuss measures to accelerate the (construction) of Patimban Port in Subang Regency, West Java Province. And we hope that the Patimban Port will play an important and strategic role in growth and trade in the West Java region and will become a complement, not a competitor, to the Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok (Port). And we hope that, once the Patimban Port is completed, the triangle of economic growth areas, namely Patimban Port, Kertajati Airport, as well as areas in Bekasi, Karawang, and Purwakarta, which serves as an interconnected industrial area, will support each other. The industrial zones are expected to be competitive, especially for export products and more specifically in the automotive sector. Therefore, I have reiterated, also during my inspection, the acceleration of the completion of the Patimban Port construction.

Second, I would like to remind all of you to pay close attention to the socio-economic impact of the Patimban Port on fishermen. Please look carefully, if you need support for facilities and infrastructure, for example, boats for the affected fishermen, the KKP (Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries) can provide such assistance to fishermen.

Third, I would like to remind all of you that the grand strategy for the development of our main ports, including Patimban, Tanjung Priok, and also the other 28 major ports, should be completely consolidated so that the future direction of the development is concrete and clear, as well as complementary. And we hope that the consolidation will accelerate the growth of regional economic centers and also provide speedy services in the logistics sector; thereby making our export products more efficient and more competitive.

I think that concludes my introductory remarks.

Translated by Ridwan Ibadurrohman
Reviewed by Muhardi