Decentralization of ocean and shoreline management should be handed over to island provinces since their regional characteristics, ocean resources, and development control range differ from those of continental-based regions.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The House of Representatives (DPR) and the government should hold discussions at the earliest on the Island Regions Bill deemed urgent at present, according to Indonesian Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) national coordinator Moh Abdi Suhufan.

"Currently, the number of maritime-based national development instruments are quite less. The existing regulations and policies are not yet sufficiently strong to make Indonesia the world's maritime center," Suhufan stated here on Monday.

The coordinator remarked that the Island Regions Bill become increasingly important in order to offer a bigger role to provinces, districts, and cities, with an expansive ocean territory, to control development activities.

He opined that the bill will enable island regions to develop local programs for utilizing and protecting marine resources as well as monitoring any illegal ocean activities.
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"Decentralization of ocean and shoreline management should be handed over to island provinces since their regional characteristics, ocean resources, and development control range differ from those of continental-based regions," he expounded.

To this end, he urged the government and DPR to immediately discuss the bill, so that it will function as a legal instrument. Currently, the bill comes under the 2021 National Legislation Program and awaits response from the government and DPR.

Due to the lack of affirmative action, a development gap exists between the continental and island provinces that is becoming increasingly harder to bridge, he elaborated.

"Without any incentive for island regions, do not even think that regions, such as Maluku, Papua, and Nusa Tenggara, can be at par with other regions in Java," Suhufan expounded.

The coordinator attributed this to the fact that funding for development in island regions had a different cost index.

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Translator: M Razi Rahman, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Suharto
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