Massive infrastructure development not imaging project: Governor

Kupang, E. Nusa Tenggara (AntaraNews NTT) - East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Governor Frans Lebu Raya defending massive infrastructure development by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) government, "it is not an imaging project."

"If Jokowi is interested only in imaging, he would not need to build infrastructure in NTT or Papua. He should have focused on development of populous areas," Lebu Raya said here on Monday (14/5).

The governor was commenting on a statement by lawmaker of the Commission V of the House of Representative Fary Francis, who said Jokowi built infrastructure only for imaging.

The chairman of House Commission V said the massive infrastructure development is an imaging project in the run up to the next presidential election in 2019.

"We see the completion targets . The completion targets should not have to be set in 2018 or 2019," Fary, who hailed from NTT, said in a discussion organized by the Indonesian Association Young Businessmen in Jakarta on Friday last week.

It was obvious from the wide media coverage about the infrastructure development both print and electronic media, although the projects were not very big for the large budget set for them, he said.

Governor Lebu Raya was angered by the statement saying a man himself from NTT is not expected to speak against infrastructure development in the region even if he belongs to an opposition party.

"That man does not deserve to be elected by the NTT people," the governor said, adding under Jokowi, development is progressing rapidly in NTT," he said.

He said in the last election Jokowi garnered 72 percent of the votes in NTT that means the people favored Jokowi even before he did anything.

Now the people of NTT would like Jokowi more after what he has done in the region, he said.