Invited Remarks by Lavan Thiru, Executive Director, Infrastructure Asia at Signing Ceremony for Memorandum of Understanding with Government of West Java Province on 22 February 2023
Selamat pagi Bapak, Ibu semua. Terimakasih menerima kedatangan saya di Bandung. Saya sangat senang bertemu dengan Bapak sama Ibu. Izinkan saya berlanjut dalam Bahasa Ingerris.
Your Excellency Mochamad Ridwan Kamil, Governor, West Java Province,
Distinguished guests and representatives from the Government of West Java Province,
1. Thank you for the warm welcome and the opportunity to be in Bandung today. It is my honour to take part in this signing ceremony, for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of West Java Province and Infrastructure Asia. We hope that through this MoU, together, we will achieve greater success in promoting sustainable infrastructure development in the West Java, building on the foundations of good partnership, trust, and mutual respect.
2. Our collaboration began in August 2020 with the signing of Letter of Intent to co-operate on infrastructure acceleration in West Java. Through our engagements with various line agencies and stakeholders, we had the opportunity to discuss and share lessons learned in the preparation of strategic infrastructure projects in transportation, waste and water sectors, including Bandung Metropolitan Light Rail Transit, Legok Nangka Waste Management Facility, and Jatigede Water Supply.
3. Recognising that Public Private Partnerships (PPP) is critical for infrastructure development in West Java, Infrastructure Asia has sponsored 19 officials from West Java Province to attend our bespoke training programme - Growing Infrastructure Course. This programme is curated with the World Bank Group and features the Singapore Management University as the academic partner aims to upskill government officials in preparing PPP projects. We believe that better understanding of PPP will help West Java attract more international and private sector participation in infrastructure projects. I am delighted that we are joined by some of our Growing Infrastructure Course alumni among the audience today. I can share with you that we are reviewing this programme with the stakeholders to make it more relevant. Your Excellency, I seek your support to encourage more officials from West Java to attend this programme.
4. Last August, we were also privileged to have His Excellency Governor deliver a recorded remark at our flagship event - Asia Infrastructure Forum. Through Governor's sharing, our regional audience gained inspirations from West Java's adoption of creative digital solutions to advance circularity in water and waste. Personally, I was inspired by the story about the rejuvenation of Citarum River. It has several parallels with Singapore’s own efforts in cleaning up the Singapore River. Going forward, we hope to jointly create more opportunities for Singapore and West Java to share experiences in innovative approaches to sustainability and circularity.
5. Today, we are delighted to elevate our Letter of Intent to a Memorandum of Understanding. Infrastructure Asia is committed to building a strong and sustainable partnership with West Java. We believe that by working together, we can support West Java's infrastructure development with solutions that fit the local needs and context. We look forward to continue collaborating on transportation, water, and waste infrastructure, and also broaden the scope of our partnership to include energy efficiency and digital connectivity. Let us all do our part in promoting a prosperous, peaceful, harmonious, and sustainable future for West Java.
6. Once again, I would like to express my deep gratitude towards Your Excellency Governor, distinguished guests and representatives from the Government of West Java Province, for your warm hospitality and the opportunity to strengthen our partnership. Thank you.
