Deddy Sitorus, a member of Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, stressed that island regions continue to lag behind and require special funding, as well as support from the central government for the proposed Islands Bill.
He made the statement in response to various issues raised by the North Sulawesi Provincial Government. These issues include limited regional finances, land policies, civil servant management, and the underdeveloped of island regions and remote islands.
He said that many other regions across Indonesia face similar challenges to those experienced by North Sulawesi. Therefore, policy reforms are needed to address regional needs, particularly in areas facing geographical challenges and limited access to development.
“I think almost all regions face the same problems, including financial constraints, policy issues, land matters, and civil servant management. Regional heads also face difficulties in replacing civil servants. Meanwhile, outermost and remote islands continue to lag behind. These are problems the nation is still facing today,” Deddy said in a statement on Monday, October 12, 2026.
He believes that development disparities in island regions and the country’s outermost islands require special attention from the central government. One initiative currently being deliberated by the House of Representatives is the proposed Islands Law, which is expected to provide a legal foundation for strengthening development and promoting more equitable prosperity for communities in these areas.
“Efforts to address the underdevelopment of island regions must be accompanied by affirmative policies, including greater budget allocations for infrastructure development,” he emphasized.
He added that such policies would give border regions and the country’s outermost islands a fairer opportunity to catch up with other regions.
“We are currently deliberating what is known as the Islands Law. However, it will ultimately depend on the government. If we push for affirmative action by allocating more funding for infrastructure development and ensuring fairness for border regions and outermost islands, the government should not reject it,” he said.
He warned that without adequate policy support and budget allocations, island regions and remote islands would continue to struggle to catch up in terms of development.
“Otherwise, they will never be able to catch up and will always remain behind,” Deddy concluded.
