Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Inauguration of Manado–Danowudu section of the Manado-Bitung Toll Road (via Video Conference), Tuesday, 29 September 2020, at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java Province

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Good afternoon,

Peace and prosperity be upon us all,

Shalom,

Om swastiastu,

Namo buddhaya,

Greetings of virtue,

Honourable Ministers of the Indonesian Onward Cabinet;

Honourable Members of Commission V of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia;

Honorable Governor of North Sulawesi, the entire ranks of Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda), and Regents/Mayors;

Honourable religious leaders, community leaders in North Sulawesi;

Honourable President Directors of PT Jasa Marga and PT PP;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank God, the 26-kilometer Manado–Danowudu section of the Manado-Bitung toll road has been finished, has been completed. And now it can be used to support business activities and facilitate public transportation. When all these sections are completed, they will be 40-km long. The toll gate is only 9 km or about 12 minutes from Sam Ratulangi Airport, so it is very close. For people who want to travel from Manado to Bitung or vice versa via this toll road, the travel time will be much faster. It used to take 1.5 hours, now it is only half an hour. This is very fast. There is a huge change in the travelling time.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I see that North Sulawesi Province has a lot of economic potentials that we must continue to develop. There is a fishing industry, especially in Bitung, there is an agricultural sector, there is a plantation sector, and also many tourism destinations. The development of these sectors urgently needs infrastructure support, including toll roads. The Manado-Bitung Toll Road is also designed to be integrated with industrial estates, integrated with tourism areas in North Sulawesi so that it will speed up access, it will be easier to reach, more quickly recognized, and easier to develop.

Through this toll road, the logistics costs from Bitung International Port can be lowered so that it is more efficient, competitiveness will also increase automatically. The Bitung Special Economic Zone can also be developed in a more advanced way. This will be the Governor’s duty to attract as much investment as possible to the Bitung SEZ. And the strategic tourism areas of Manado, Bitung, Likupang, including access to Lembeh Island are increasingly easy to reach.

Therefore, we expect the tourism sector in North Sulawesi to grow after the current pandemic. And with the integration of these economic areas, I am sure that more investment will come, new businesses will grow, and employment opportunities for the community will certainly increase. North Sulawesi will continue to develop.

I think that is all I can say in this happy occasion, and by saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I inaugurate the Manado–Danowudu section of the Manado-Bitung toll road.

Thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Translated by Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by Lulu Wuliarti