REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Indonesian government has earmarked 7.3 trillion IDR for the management of areas bordering with neighboring countries in 2013, an official said.

"The 2013 budget for border areas increased 89 percent from the total budget set aside for the same purpose in 2012," Triyono Budi Sasongko, secretary of the National Border Areas Management Agency (BNPP), said.

He said that with the rise in the budget, the border area management was expected to increase based location priorities set in the BNPP program. "The allocation of the budget needs tight supervision so that it would really meet the target. The programs at the relevant agencies should be directed to the acceleration of the development of regions in the border areas," he said.

Since the establishment of the NBPP three years ago in 2010, the management of border areas has reached significant achievements. "The border area management action plans worked out by related ministries and state institutions gained rapid progress," Triyono said.

In the meantime, Coordinating Minister for Legal, Security and Political Affairs Djoko Suyanto said that the performance of the NBPP should not be measured with its ability to absorb funds only but also with the results of its program implementation.

"This is because the ability to absorb funds could be fabricated. The important factor is the implementation in the field. Fair distribution of development achievements could be felt if prosperity in the border areas could be created," he said.

He said that the aspect of prosperity in the border areas could reinforce the country`s resilience. Therefore, the paradigm that regions in the border areas were backward should be changed and altered with fair development within the nation`s development framework.

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