Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Inauguration of Sayung-Demak Section of Semarang-Demak Toll Road at Sayung Toll Gate, Demak Regency, Central Java Province, February 25, 2023

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Good afternoon,

May peace be upon us all.

Distinguished Ministers of the Onward Indonesia Cabinet,

Distinguished leaders and members of the Fifth Commission of the House of Representatives,

Distinguished Governor of Central Java and the Central Java Province Leadership Coordination Forum, Regent of Demak, Mayor of Semarang, and Board of Directors of State-owned Enterprises,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, my children,

Thank God, this afternoon, [the construction of] Semarang-Demak Toll Road Section II Sayung-Demak segment has been finished and it is ready to be operated. It is 16.01-kilometer long and used a budget of Rp5.9 trillion.

I also would like to remind governors, regents, and mayors to immediately connect all completed toll road projects throughout the country with production areas in their respective regions, be it industrial regions, agricultural regions, plantation regions, or tourism regions. Therefore, toll roads will truly speed up logistic transportation, including for transporting products from our agriculture, plantation, and industrial regions. Thus, the speed will boost our efficiency and competitiveness.

I also highly appreciate ethe newly-constructed Sayung-Demak toll road because this second [section] can also serve as a sea wall. Therefore, we can prevent tidal waves, whose length and height I think will continue to increase due to the climate change, from reaching the land with this toll road that has been constructed to also serve as a sea wall.

That concludes my statement in this auspicious occasion. And by saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, this afternoon I hereby inaugurate Sayung-Demak Section of Semarang-Demak Toll Road.

I thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

(DH/LW)