Creative Literary Writing (CLW): Lombok International Airport, Between Dream and Reality

LOMBOK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:
BETWEEN DREAM AND REALITY


Nowadays, life is getting modern than before, characterize with high mobility. High mobility reflected from supporting transportation, such as plane, train, bus, ship etc. The fastest among that transportation is a plane. We can reach our destination a thousand miles only in a few hours. And one of the infrastructures that support it is an airport.
We cannot deny how important airport in our life. And Soekarno Hatta Airport (Jakarta) is mentioned as the number 2 of the most crowded and fast developing airport in the world. Minister of Transportation, Hatta Radjasa mention that the number of airplane passengers after the crisis of year 200 reached 9,6 million people, year 2002 12 million people, 2004 increase again and become 24 million and year 2005 is estimated around 30 million passenger. This increased mobility, if it not anticipated, will cause technical problem.
West Nusa Tenggara has a tourism potential and economic growth that should be supported by bigger airport than Selaparang Airport. New airport erection is urgently needed because Selaparang Airport can not be widening because of some reason according to General Manager PT Angkasa Pura I:
1. Widening Selaparang Airport, 2500 miles to the west will pay a high cost (there are trade area, Chinese grave, and road to Senggigi.
2. Widening runway to the east is hard, because there is Rinjani Mountain.
3. Widening runway operationally is not possible.
4. Widening the runway to the south should freed settlement.
5. Widening the runway to the north should free the trade area, terminal, and settlement around 248. 140 m2.
6. Moving the DVOR needed 40.000 m2
7. Widening the runway should build new tower, building, cargo etc.
8. Etc
Seeing these reasons we should build new airport. Because we have people who need to travel for economical, social, cultural, political and for distribution reasons. According to Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa, this is the second airport development by PT Angkasa Pura I after Makassar which is done by them selves, and not like the other airport which follows the government pattern. But the fund can be from investor, central government budget and local government budget, he said. For the development of Lombok International Airport which has a base length of 2.750 meter and width of 45 meter, the first fund to make the airport suitable for landing of Airbus 310 and Boing 747 will amount IDR 625 billion, not included the land price for the finally released land of 538 hectare after 12 years in dispute. The last piece of land of 7,4 hectare was paid by local government of Nusa Tenggara Barat on Saturday (26/11) for IDR 2,6 billion or IDR 3,5 million per are (100 m2).
Lombok is looking forward to increase the tourism industry to hope improving the living standards of many of the people not only in the area but on the whole island. With this new airport, it hopes that the bigger size aircrafts can land directly from Europe, Australia or other Asian Countries without having to transit in Denpasar or Jakarta.
Lombok's new International Airport planned to have a runway of 2,750M long, and 45M width to enable the Boeing 747 or Airbus 310 can safely landed. Lombok and Sumbawa has become very potential place for the Tourist Destination. The airport will be located in Tanak Awu, Central Lombok, and will replace the existing Selaparang airport in Mataram, which currently can only handle small aircraft and is limited to mainly domestic flights.
The other reasons in erecting this airport according to PT. Angkasa Pura and Department of Directorate General of Air Communication are:

(1) Lombok has been targeted to expand as role as primary Indonesian tourist destination. As Bali neighbor many tourist currently travel to Bali then Lombok. With the development of the new first class International Lombok Airport. International tourist can fly direct making Lombok a primary tourist destination. Central Lombok was estimated that 5 percent of these international travelers would elect to fly to and from Lombok Airport instead of Bali Airport.
(2) The development of tourism in Lombok will increase. The potential for both domestic and International tourist traveling to Lombok, likely resulting in increased growth rates. The expectation of increased international air services is likely to add an additional boost to international passenger growth.
(3) As international Airport New Lombok will have level of service and the capacity of Lombok Airport will increase to meet the air traffic demand.
But government’s policy to build LIA, has been criticize by some NGO’s such as Formula (Forum Silaturrahim Pemuda Mahasiswa Lombok Tengah Selatan) and from indigenous society around LIA’s area.
There are some problem that arise for this government policy, they are:
1. The erection of LIA is not in balance with the human resources around the area. PT Angkasa Pura argued that LIA will supply a thousand jobs for indigenous people. But what a pity, most of them is a farmer that has no skills or knowledge to work in LIA. The possibility is other people in big amount will come to Central Lombok and push them away from their land. How poor it is.
2. Indigenous people will have a culture shock, lots of different cultures come towards them, and not impossible the genuine culture of them will disappear if they have no filter at all. In other words, globalization comes towards them and ready destruct their culture in a flash….!!!
3. Lombok International Airport predicted will have 2 billion air passengers a year. It means that every day LIA should has 5479 passengers per day. If we examine Selaparang airport whose passengers only 800 000 air passengers every year. The consequence if LIA’s erection without any economic strategy is government will be in lost. If the passengers less than 1,4 billion people, NTB provincial government should pay the operational fund around 56 billion every year! This is a big amount of fund for NTB!
4. Central Lombok roadway is far from the standard roadway. Roadway along Penujak, Batujai, Mangkung, Kawo, and Teruwai is notfulfilling the standard at all. Government planned Central Lombok as a location for tourism resort but if the road along LIA does not support it, it is no use to erect International Lombok Airport.
5. There are lots of Central Lombok potency (NTB in general) in tourism that will increase air passenger but there are no well supporting infrastructures especially in tourism resort interact tourism to come to Lombok.
6. Central Lombok is one of NTB area whose electricity power is low. The availability of high electricity power takes an important role in economy development. As we know that International Airport needs high power of electricity. Therefore is it too hard to and needs time to build LIA.

Seeing the problem above, since the International Lombok Airport has been planned, national or local government should do to step in preventing the lost, they are; do economic analysis and make an economic strategy so the LIA passengers target will be reach then identifying NTB’s potency .
First, the plan of economy development is urgently needed to decrease the poverty. The economy development purpose is mainly to raise the income average of society with development target, potency analysis, power and weaknesses. Therefore there should be an economy analysis. According to Suparmoko, They are:
1. Identifying the power and weaknesses which potency that should be developed
2. Identifying which sector whose potency should be re-plan
3. Identifying the resources that support the development of particular sector
4. From those steps then we should do the second analysis which sector that have high economy potency to be developed.
5. Finally, planning the strategy to develop chosen sector that give a stimulus to other sector to be developed that seeing these things:
a. The development of agriculture, animal husbandry, and tourism
b. The development of fields that make one another balance such as forestry, water availability, transportation and infrastructures.
Second, identifying NTB’s potencies, that will support LIA seen from:
1. Tourism Potency
Tourism is the second sector after agriculture that has good influence to the economy development. NTB province is one of Indonesian province whose tourism potency is rich.
NTB is in Los Palos and in Gold Triangle (Bali, Tana Toraja, P. Komodo). Therefore NTB has lot of tourism resorts which will attract tourists. For example, their beautiful beaches with white sand, beautiful view of mountainous land and etc. In the southern part of Central Lombok abundant with beautiful beach; Kute Beach, An Beach, Seger Beach, and Selong Belanak beach that well known throughout the world. Rinjani forest, Tambora forest and Moyo island that over us with beautiful view also well known.
Unique culture is also NTB’s potency such as traditional dance; gandrung, sumbawan dance, gendang beleq, and etc.
That tourism potency should be analyzed and developed by NTB’s government.
2. Handiraft
Hand woven: songket, kembang komaq, selulut and ragi genap produces by unique traditional technique that is nensek.
Hand pottery: gerabah that well known internationally.
Their problem is in marketing strategy because generally they are uneducated, so this is government duty to help in marketing strategy or something else.
3. Agriculture Potency
West Nusa Tenggara agriculture area that can be used is 1. 106. 599 Ha. Just one-third of them are already used for agriculture but the rest are unmanaged because of irrigation problem. Therefore, increasing the production in agriculture, local government should concern in irrigation. For the dry area should manage with proper technology. And for farmer with low price of rise problem should be solved by local goverment
4. Fishery Potency
Fishery developing area devided into three, they are:
a. Lombok Island
b. West Sumbawa Island
c. East Sumbawa Island
Fishery potency in NTB can support the development of economy and economic development can support LIA in future to preventing the lost. Therefore provincial government should concern to fishery.
5. Mine Potency
6. Forestry Potency

Finally, West Nusa Tenggara provincial government should see NTB’s prospect before erecting Lombok International Airport. Therefore in the future LIA will not be just as useless as Surabaya International Airport and Makasar International airport that use just in Hajj.
Lombok International Airport: Between dream and reality……………