President Prabowo chairs a video conference meeting related to the signing of a joint agreement between the Governor of Aceh and Governor of North Sumatra on Tuesday (6/17). (Photo: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)
President Prabowo Subianto has decided that four islands that have been under dispute between Special Region of Aceh Provincial Government and North Sumatra Provincial Government are officially part of Special Region of Aceh Province. The decision was made by President Prabowo during a video conference meeting related to the signing of a joint agreement between governors of the two provinces on Tuesday (6/17).
The four disputed islands are Mangkir Gadang Island, Mangkir Ketek Island, Lipan Island, and Panjang Island. The signing of the “Joint Agreement between the Provincial Government of Special Region of Aceh and the Provincial Government of North Sumatra Regarding the Settlement of e Dispute over Mangkir Gadang Island, Mangkir Ketek Island, Lipan Island, and Panjang Island” was carried out by the Governor of North Sumatra Bobby Nasution and the Governor of Special Region of Aceh Muzakir Manaf, witnessed by Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian and Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi in an official meeting at Wisma Negara, Presidential Palace complex, Jakarta.
During the meeting, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad reported that the President’s decision was made based on the finding of a Decree of Minister of Home Affairs issued in 1992 confirming that the four islands are administratively part of Aceh province.
“We have discussed the issue of the four disputed islands and praise be to God, based on a new finding of the Minister of Home Affairs, we have found an old Decree of Minister of Home Affairs on agreement of two governors that was signed by Raja Inal Siregar, Governor of North Sumatra at that time [1992], ruling that the four islands were part of Aceh territory,” Dasco explained.
Regarding this matter, President Prabowo emphasized the importance of maintaining unity of the Republic of Indonesia. “I think the principle is that we are one (as a nation), and the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) should always be our foundation. Praise be to God, both parties have reached a mutual agreement regarding this matter, so it is a good improvement,” President Prabowo said.
The Head of State also requested to openly and transparently inform the public on this matter to prevent speculation. “Our nation is in good condition now, so we need to explain this matter to the people. Our nation is in good condition now, our economy is good, our growth is good, and our agricultural production is good. I see progress in all fields, so we all need to continue maintaining this condition,” President Prabowo said.
This decision marked a new chapter in the administrative settlement of these four islands, which had been the subject of inter-provincial discussions, and reflected President Prabowo’s commitment to resolve the issue peacefully and based on valid legal evidence. (Bureau of Press, Media, and Information of the Presidential Secretariat) (TCUD/MMB)
