VP hails role of RI firms in Makassar airport project

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Vice President Jusuf Kalla hailed the role national firms played in the ongoing construction of a new airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi, saying it was time to empower Indonesians to be able to carry out such development projects in other sectors and provinces.

"The government has its own interests in completing the project as soon as possible to serve the increasing amount of flights to the country's easternmost region.

"But we have to applaud national companies too, which have absorbed huge costs from the state budget and the province's budget," he said over the weekend.

Kalla, who paid a visit to the project two weeks ago, said the airport construction was a pilot project carried out all by Indonesian companies, experts and workers.

"I think it's time to empower national companies to handle all the work in development projects financed by the state, in efforts to express our independence and to create jobs for our people."

Separately, Lukman Laisa, chairman of a working unit of the Directorate of Air Transportation at the Transportation Ministry, said the government has entrusted construction company PT Duta Graha Indah to construct a 1.8-km stretch of the 3.1-km runway, following its success in building a taxiway and parking lot at the new airport.

"The first phase of the runway construction project is nearing completion and we are now open for registration of domestic companies interested in the project's second phase," he said.

President of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I, M. Yusuf, said he was proud of Duta Graha and the other 17 domestic companies taking part in the project, which has absorbed Rp 570 billion from the state and province budgets.

Duta Graha human resources director Sutiono Teguh said the company, which is scheduled to offer its shares to the public in an IPO later this month, has joined in the government's bidding process for the development of a new airport in Medan, North Sumatra.

"On the basis of our experience in Makassar, the government may give us the opportunity to take part in the new projects."