"Japan is facing a tragedy as 93 percent of its population lives in urban areas," he remarked during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the PDT Ministry and the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry in Jakarta on Monday.
Susanto assessed that uncontrolled urbanization could lead to poverty, inequality in per capita income, increased unemployment rate, crimes, air and noise pollution, and the emergence of new slums.
He added that the PDT Ministry has been echoing the "Developing Villages, Developing Indonesia" tagline, implying the significance of village development.
The minister also stated that the intensification of rural development is part of the Asta Cita, or eight main missions, promoted by President Prabowo Subianto and his administration.
He then highlighted that the urgency in bringing progress to Indonesia's villages is driven by the fact that most Indonesian citizens reside in rural areas.
"Hence, we need to take care of over 200 million people. I believe that developing villages equals developing Indonesia. Serving rural residents means serving the Indonesian nation. This is a challenging yet noble task," he remarked.
On October 29, Susanto drew attention to the importance of state institutions working hand in hand to advance Indonesian villages.
"Cooperation between the government and the DPR is the key. If we do not cooperate, it will be hard, especially (in developing) villages," he remarked at a meeting with Commission V of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta.
On that note, he urged the commission to oversee matters related to infrastructure and transportation to provide support, inputs, and directives to his ministry regarding village development.
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Translator: Tri M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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