Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia During the Inauguration of the Operation of BAKTI 4G BTS Signal and Internet Access in Underprivileged, Foremost, Outermost Villages, and the Operation and Integration of Indonesian Satellite Satria-1 at Bowombaru Village, Talaud Islands Regency, North Sulawesi Province, Thursday, December 28, 2023

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Good afternoon,

May prosperity be upon us all,

Shalom.

Distinguished Minister of Communication and Informatics, Minister of Trade, Commander of the Indonesian National Defence Forces,

Distinguished Chairperson and Members of Commission I of the House of Representatives,

Distinguished Governor of North Sulawesi and Regent of Talaud Islands, President Director of BAKTI,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Ours is a big country. A big country. We are home to 17,000 islands with diverse geographical condition so it is really not easy to prepare the infrastructure, be it for roads, seaports, or airports, and also to build infrastructure for health and education. Ours is unlike other countries whose areas are located on a land.

And, we need connectivity to reach, to connect one island to another island, one province to another province, one region to another region to reinforce national integration and unity.

We have built various connectivity infrastructure. We have also built sky access so the people from all walks of life have equal access to the digital world, including by building BTS. However, the problem is it was hindered by acts of corruption.

Therefore, I said to Attorney General, “Sir, please settle the corruption problem in legal area, but the development cannot stop.” Usually, if problem occurs, especially acts of corruption, the project will stop. It will stall or not be continued.

At that time, the Attorney General responded, “Yes Sir, we will carry out the administration of the legal process and the administration or other procedures.” So, Ministry of Communication and Informatics can perform the work with confidence. And, it is proven that after they worked on it, about four months later, the problems could be settled, whereas it involved a huge budget.

This, once again, is for the benefit of the people. This is for the benefit of the people. Do not let legal issue stop the project. The legal process takes place, but the project cannot be continued. The money is gone, the project stops, that is a double loss.

And, alhamdulillah, our praise and gratitude to God the Almighty, today, the technical issue in construction could be resolved although there are still 630 [BTS] in the island of Papua that have not yet been completed.

Indeed, it is very difficult to access the area. The security also needs to be considered. This morning, I ordered Commander of the Indonesian Defence Force (TNI) and Chief of the Indonesian National Police to start the development immediately and to ensure the security aspect so all problems can be solved well.

I will keep it in mind, Minister for Communication and Informatics, the promise that it will be conducted in the first semester of next year. Do not just say ‘yes, Sir’, I will keep it in mind.

That concludes my remarks on this good opportunity.

By asking God the Almighty’s blessing and grace, today I hereby inaugurate the operation of BAKTI 4G BTS Signal and internet access in underprivileged, foremost, outermost villages, and the operation and integration of Indonesian satellite Satria-1, in Talaud Islands regency, North Sulawesi province.

I thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

May God bless us all.

(AW/EP)