TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo instructed regional heads to name inhabited and uninhabited islands in their jurisdictions.

“Through the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry and the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, the government wants to expedite [the island naming]. At least there should be a lighthouse built [in each island], so that it is clear to whom the islands belong,” Tjahjo said at the Defense Ministry in Jakarta on Thursday, January 12, 2017.

The minister explained that many islands are still anonymous and being leased to foreign investors, such as that in East Nusa Tenggara. He then called on local governments to review the leasing contract.

“The contracts must be reviewed immediately to figure out whether they provide added value for regions and whether they have been named,” Tjahjo said.

He suggested the islands be named in Indonesian language or local languages.

The idea to name the islands was proposed by Brahmantya Satyamurti Poerwadi, director general of marine space management at the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry. Poerwadi hopes that the state can name all islands in Indonesian waters.

The government has set a target to identify, name, and set location points and statuses of 100 islands in 2017. The identification was conducted based on applicable regulations.

ARKHELAUS W.