Natuna Regent Cen Sui Lan used a meeting with MPR Speaker Ahmad Muzani on Wednesday (September 30) to highlight several strategic challenges facing the island regency and call for stronger cooperation between central and local governments in developing Indonesia’s border regions.
During the official visit, held at the Natuna Regent’s Office, Cen outlined key priorities including better inter-island connectivity and more affordable transportation, the development of Natuna Geopark and tourism, revenue-sharing funds, food security, and more reliable distribution of essential goods and logistics.
For Natuna, geography remains a major factor behind high transportation and distribution costs. Cen said limited connectivity not only affects the movement of people and goods but also creates challenges for tourism and other areas of development. She therefore emphasized the need for policies that take the particular conditions of border and outer-island communities into account.
She also highlighted the importance of improving infrastructure on the outermost islands, expanding access to healthcare and other basic services, strengthening economic resilience, and supporting international trade.
MPR Speaker Ahmad Muzani said the government’s presence in Natuna should extend beyond defense and security, with greater attention to improving the welfare of communities living in the border region. Kepri Deputy Governor Nyang Nyang Haris Pratamura similarly pointed to the challenges of providing public services and supporting development across an archipelagic province dominated by sea.
Cen said she hoped the visit would strengthen coordination between the central and regional governments and help translate Natuna’s strategic needs into stronger support for development, public welfare, and the government’s presence in Indonesia’s border areas. (Pro_Kopim Natuna/D)
RILIS PERS, Number : 07025/PRO_KOPIM/2026
