GOVT TO REVISE REGULATIONS HAMPERING INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Jakarta, Aug 5 (ANTARA) - The government is ready to revise a number of regulations considered to have hampered acceleration of infrastructure development in the country.

"We are going to revise and develop some regulations for the acceleration of infrastructure development," State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta said here on Wednesday.

To speed up infrastructure development as stipulated in the Government Work Plan 2010 (RKP 2010), Suzetta said the government would not only rely on funds from he state budget because the budget was limited.

He said to date, several government regulations, including regional regulations, were still hampering the acceleration of infrastructure development.

Therefore, he said, these regulations would be revised in an effort to encourage private companies to invest in infrastructure development at home.

Some regulations that need to be revised, according to the minister, were Presidential Regulation (Perpres No.67/2005), Presidential Decision (Kepres No 80/2003), and some other regional regulations.

Meanwhile, Vice President-elect Boediono said in Padang, West Sumatra, over the weekend that Indonesia's infrastructure network needed to be continuously strengthened in order to improve the country's conditions and lift it up from the impact of the global economic crisis.

"Many countries have collapsed because of the global economic crisis and only countries with a strong economic structure like Indonesia have been able to withstand the crunch," Boediono said in Padang on Saturday.

Boediono said infrastructure development should be on top of the country's priorities because it was important for national development at present and in the future.

"I will try to spur infrastructure development continually because it is an urgent demand that cannot wait to be met," Boediono said, adding that infrastructure development should be carried out evenly in urban and rural areas to reduce transportation costs.

Such a policy , he said, was necessary to support agricultural revitalization.

"If agricultural revitalization is carried out properly and supported by good infrastructure, farmers in rural areas will have no difficulty marketing their products in the cities and towns," he said.

In addition to adequate infrastructure facilities, Boediono said, there should also be a safety net to help poor people deal with the consequences of the global economic crisis.