Please Pak Jokowi, Give Us a Bridge

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

Students from Siron Blang Village, Kuta Cot Glie District, Aceh Besar District, Aceh, Friday (19/2/2021) crossed the river using a raft. They hope that the government will immediately build a bridge.

After the suspension bridge of Siron Blang village in Kuta Cot Glie district, Aceh Besar, collapsed in a flood two years ago, residents risked their lives to cross the rapid flow of water on Keumireu River. Located 15 kilometers from the regent\'s office and 40 km from the governor\'s office, the conscience of the residents seems to have not been heard.

Muhammad Rendi, 10, and his friends went home from school, Friday (19/2/2021) afternoon. They walked hurriedly down the rocky path as other friends waited by the river.

Skillfully, they jumped onto the bamboo raft. Rendi\'s little hands grabbed the rope so that the 1.5 x 2 meter raft would move across the river. The river water was clear, several women could be seen washing clothes.

Also read: The Face of Solidarity in Banjarmasin Floods

"Bang, pajan titi dipeuget? Neupeugah bak Pak Jokowi, jok titi to kamoe (Brother, when will the bridge be built? Please tell President Jokowi to give us a bridge)," said Rendi to Kompas, referring to President Joko Widodo, while dragging the rope.

Siron Blang village is divided by the Keumireu River. Its population is around 300 people. There are two hamlets separated by the river, namely Siron Cut hamlet, which is inhabited by around 200 people and Siron Krung hamlet, which is inhabited by 100 people.

Brother, when will the bridge be built? Please tell President Jokowi to give us a bridge.

Siron Krung hamlet is on the easily accessible side, about 10 kilometers from the Banda Aceh-Meulaboh national road. Schools and other public facilities are available in the hamlet. Meanwhile, Siron Cut hamlet is on the other side of the river. The easiest access to the hamlet from Siron Krung hamlet is by crossing the river or taking a dozen of kilometers on land.

In the past, the hamlets were connected by a suspension bridge measuring 80 meters long and 1 meter wide. The bridge was very old and by the end of 2018 collapsed in a flood. Several months later, the government helped build a makeshift bridge from coconut trunks. However, the bridge also collapsed due to the flood.

After the emergency bridge was damaged, residents were forced to cross the river using bamboo rafts. If the water is receding, people cross the river barefoot by carrying their belongings.

"There were those who fell, the books were all wet," said Rendi.

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

Students from Siron Blang Village, Kuta Cot Glie District, Aceh Besar District, Aceh, Friday (19/2/2021) landed after crossing the river using a raft.

If the water is rising, residents are forced to take an alternative road of 15 km. "If the water is overflowing, we don\'t go to school," said Rendi. He and the children in Siron Blang village, especially Siron Cut hamlet, hoped that the government would immediately build a bridge to make it easier for them to go to school.

Hampered activities

The absence of a bridge prevents residents from moving freely. Riza Juliani, 38, a local resident, said that it is difficult for farmers to sell their crops outside the hamlet. Above all, he worries about his child\'s safety when crossing the river when going to and from school.

"Especially if there are those who are sick in the middle of the night, it\'s very difficult. Puskesmas (community health center) is far away and residents have to cross the river at midnight. Dangerous," said Riza.

In Siron Blang village, there are no health facilities. Residents also have to go to the district center, which is about 15 km away.

In February 2019, Aceh Besar Regent Mawardi Ali inspected the damaged bridge. He joined the rubber boat to help the children cross. Even though he said that in 2020 the bridge would be built, until now this has not been realized.

Also read: Elegy for early 2021: Upstream Landslides, Downstream Flooding

In January 2021, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR) from Aceh, Irmawan, also visited Siron Blang village, promising to propose the construction of a bridge to the Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry.

"I will convey directly to the PUPR Minister to build a bridge this year," Irmawan said.

The head of the Aceh Besar PUPR Office, Syahrial said, the construction of a bridge in Siron Blang village is an urgent need for residents. However, the Aceh Besar Regency Government could not build the bridge because the APBD (Regional Budget) burden was too large.

I will convey directly to the PUPR Minister to build a bridge this year.

His office once proposed to the Aceh Provincial Government, but it was rejected on the grounds that the bridge construction was the responsibility of the Aceh Besar Regency Government. In 2019, his office also proposed the construction of the bridge to the Aceh National Road Implementation Center and hoped that in the following year the bridge could be built.

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

Students in Siron Blang and Siron Krueng Villages, Kuta Cot Glie District, Aceh Besar District, Aceh Province, crossing the river by rubber boat to and from school, Monday (28/1/2019). The suspension bridge in the village was completely damaged by the floods at the end of December 2018.

Initially, Syahrial received good news that the construction of the bridge had been approved. However, later he received news that the bridge construction plan was canceled.

The development request documents have also been submitted to the PUPR Ministry. "Efforts are being made, hopefully it will be included in the 2021 Revised State Budget Draft," he said.

The budget needed for the construction of the Siron Blang bridge is around Rp 6 billion. According to the plan, the new bridge can be passed by four-wheeled vehicles with limited capacity. At least pickup trucks can cross the concrete bridge. "Hopefully this year it will be realized," said Syahrial.

Efforts are being made, hopefully it will be included in the 2021 Revised State Budget Draft.

Special autonomy funds

As a province that receives special autonomy (otsus) funds, Aceh actually has a sufficient budget to build the bridge. In 2008-2020, Aceh received Rp 73 trillion in special autonomy funds. Even, the Aceh Provincial Government in 2019 purchased 172 official cars, at a total cost of Rp 100 billion.

Even though the special autonomy funds are quite large, the coordinator of the Aceh Budget Transparency Society, Alfian, assessed that development in Aceh is partly not in accordance with public needs. The infrastructure that has been built is neglected. For example, the public transport terminal complex in Saree, Aceh Besar, is now not used. In fact, the terminal was built at a fund of Rp 7 billion.

On the other hand, not far from Saree, the residents of Siron Blang village have been forced to cross the river on bamboo rafts because the bridge they need has not been built.

Alfian further said that the facilities used by officials are in stark contrast to the development for the people. Officials are given official vehicles, allowances and access, but residents are left to live in isolation for years.

Development inequality causes the poverty rate in Aceh to remain high. In September 2020, the number of poor people in Aceh was 833,000 or 15.34 percent. "Development is more in line with the wishes of officials, not the needs of the people," said Alfian.

In fact, to overcome road access constraints for Siron Blang residents, a simpler emergency bridge could be built first. A concrete bridge worth Rp 6 billion could be built later.

Therefore, it is not surprising to see that Rendi asked for his message to be conveyed to the President so that the bridge in his village will immediately be built.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.