Way Abung transmigration project

Abstract

Transmigration projects are a vital part of the Republic of Indonesia's efforts in regional development and nation-building. The planned resettlement of needy families from overpopulated sections of Java also helps to meet the demand for agricultural workers to develop the sparsely populated Outer Islands. The project at Way Abung in North Lampung Province, South Sumatra, is reviewed against the background of "colonization" projects carried out by the Netherlands Indies government from 1905 to 1941 and the "transmigration" program initiated by the Republican government following World War II. The study covers a period (1969-1974) when planning and implementation of Indonesian resettlement conformed with the Republic's First Five-Year Development Plan (REPELITA I) and fell within the responsibility of the Department (Ministry) of Manpower, Transmigration, and Cooperatives. Way Abung was administered during this time as a sub-project of the Lampung Province Transmigration Project. The Directorate General For Transmigration recruited settlers in Java who then traveled by train and ship at the expense of the Government to South Sumatra. There the agency gave them land, housing materials, agricultural aids, and community facilities to get started. After five years, the colonists were transferred to the jurisdiction of the regular provincial administration. With program modifications suggested by the experience gained in five years at Way Ahung, the project continued in operation after 1974. The author analyzes the problems encountered at Way Abung and the attempts to solve them. These included relating the project to national development goals, coordinating the responsibilities of various agencies and government levels that were involved, appraising project components systematically by use of approved management techniques, and monitoring project progress for informative feedback and evaluation. During the period described, Way Abung was neither a successful venture nor a project that failed, but it is one from which much can be learned.