INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - The last three years the government intensively built infrastructure. Government projects extend from the center to the regions. But the effort was not considered to have a significant impact, especially in absorbing labor.
For three years more powerful, the government of Joko Widodo (Jokowi) seemed to actively build the infrastructure. A number of development projects in the central to the accelerated area have an impact on the continuous increase in infrastructure projects from Rp 177 trillion in 2014 to Rp 401 trillion in 2017.
The budget amount will continue to increase until the end of Jokowi's term in 2019.
So what projects have been done in the last three years of Jokowi?
Minister of Public Works and People's Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono, said there were a number of infrastructure development achievements that were built during Jokowi's reign. Starting from roads, dams, to housing.
"The highway, the dam, the construction of irrigation networks, the housing has been quite successful compared to previous years, then drinking water, then the border area, the national road, we third year more than 2650 km built, whereas the target is 2,650 km. this will be additional 568 km, from 2019 to 1,581 km, so we are preparing it, "he said at the PUPR Ministry recently.
According to him, these achievements make the infrastructure competitiveness of Indonesia is increasing.
"Toll roads, irrigation network dams, houses, drinking water, borders, that can cause our infrastructure competitiveness to rise," he added.
Claims of success had been reaping controversy. It is true that infrastructure development is more active in Jokowi's government.
But the results have not felt significant for the community. The view was expressed by the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF).
INDEF Executive Director, Enny Sri Hartati, said that the physical construction of the infrastructure itself has not yet shown any significant progress.
Of the total 247 national strategic projects, until 2017 only nine percent or 22 projects are declared complete. While still in the planning or preparation stage reached 36 percent or 88 projects.
"This means that infrastructure projects can be said to be stagnant," said Enny as a speaker in the national seminar "Stability Without Acceleration" in Jakarta some time ago.
In addition, continued Enny, anomaly indication of the construction of infrastructure projects that is the absorption of labor and wages declining construction workers. With increasing infrastructure, ideally employment should also rise.
This trained woman said that indeed the new infrastructure impact can be fully felt in the long term, but in the short run the benefits have started to look like the increase of labor absorption, especially the construction sector labor.
"Indeed there is time-lag, infrastructure development is not necessarily the result can be enjoyed in the near term, but at least there is acceleration," said Enny.
Employment in the industrial sector in 2015 reached 7.72 million people or about 6.39 percent. In 2016, the construction sector recorded a labor absorption rate of 7.71 million people or down 0.01 million.
In 2017 absorb 7.16 million people. That is, in the last three years the workforce in this sector shrank about 0.56 million people.
Similarly, real wages of construction workers are in fact declining. Real wages are nominal wages reduced by the rate of inflation.
In September 2015, the real daily wage of construction workers reached Rp 66,158, then in the next two years fell to Rp 65,768 in 2016 and Rp 64,867 in 2017.
While Former Finance Minister Chatib Basri highlights government policies that are eager to build infrastructure projects without financial capability qualified.
"Infrastructure must be built, we have no debate about it, but the problem is the development must be in accordance with the capacity of money that is owned," he said.
Chatib example with a simple. Like a new middle-class individual married, if you directly buy a house, a car and live an upscale lifestyle, then the family finances must be very problematic.
In order not to do so, money should be used for priority.
So is the country. Infrastructure needs to be built, but it can not be done at once. Moreover, it should be purely using funds sourced from the state budget, without involving the private sector.
"It means priority, if there is a lot of money, if not, do not be forced," he explained.
Priority, Chatib's intention is to have a great economic effect.
"Now look at the Papua road, it is good, the road is wide, but there is a passing by, is there a big economic effect there, why not just pioneer road first," explained Chatib.
In response to this criticism, the government through the Minister of Planning and National Development (PPN / Bappenas Head), Bambang Brodjonegoro, previously ensured that intensive infrastructure development carried out by the government of the working cabinet indirectly had an impact on the community both short and long term.
Bambang said, the short term that can be felt by the public is the availability of employment, while the long term can create a new economy.
The government is currently speeding up some infrastructure development, from roads, dams, bridges, ports, to airports or that have more long-term impact.
"We make the road may only create jobs, but if the road is so, then the road creates the economy, the economy creates jobs, without the way it is anything else, so seeing the infrastructure is like that, the impact is long term," said Bambang .
Bambang continued, the reason for the incessant development of infrastructure is also due to create economic equity, and integrate the region with each other.
Moreover, infrastructure has become one of the obstacles to the ease of trying in Indonesia. Because the level of infrastructure to national GDP continues to decline.
"The question is if the government is now not built infrastructure, the next government will think the same as you not the infrastructure, will be postponed again Indonesia will become a country that will not have competitiveness, its airport fullness, the way of traffic, what kind of economy can live with such conditions, so it must be seen from the long term, "he explained.
