HISTORY OF WEST NUSA TENGGARA
64 Years of Caring for Hope Responding to Challenges
NTB is an archipelagic province located in southeastern Indonesia with two main islands: Lombok and Sumbawa. These two islands have different but complementary natural, socio-economic and cultural characteristics.
Become a basic capital for development to be developed together. NTB also has hundreds of small islands which hold great potential. It becomes a charm in itself that has high selling value.
At the beginning of the independence period, NTB became part of the Lesser Sunda Province, which had thousands of cities in Singaraja, Bali. Lesser Sunda is a province that joins Bali, NTB and NTT. When the United Republic of Indonesia (RIS) was founded in December 1949, NTB became part of the State of Eastern Indonesia.
Not long after, NTB then became its own province on December 17, 1958 with the joining of the Lombok and Sumbawa island governments based on Law Number 64 of 1958 dated August 14, 1958 concerning the Formation of Level I Autonomous Regions of Bali, NTB and NTT. This moment was later designated as the birthday of the NTB Province to this day. In subsequent developments in governance, the existence of West Nusa Tenggara Province is now specifically regulated in Law Number 20 of 2022 concerning West Nusa Tenggara Province.
In the 64 years of West Nusa Tenggara Province, there have been 8 (eight) leadership changes. Each period faces its own dynamics, problems and romance. Each period has laid important foundations and the best achievements of its time.
1. Governor Roeslan Tjakraningrat’s reign (1958-1966)
Roeslan Tjakraningrat leads NTB with the main challenge of the food crisis and the real threat of hunger. In 1959, for example, no less than 10 thousand residents of South Lombok died due to severe malnutrition.
In the 1965-1966 period, when the national political situation was volatile due to the outbreak of the communist rebellion, another major famine occurred in South Lombok and in general on Lombok Island.
Throughout that period, almost 80 percent of agricultural areas failed to harvest. Around 20 thousand heads of families live in severe food difficulties. Malnutrition affects thousands of children.
With all his limitations, for eight years leading NTB, Governor Roeslan has tried hard to make NTB a better region. Laying the foundations of regional government and development, strengthening nationalism and the national spirit. Strengthening togetherness between all groups in the plural society of NTB.
2. Governor H.R.’s term of administration Wasita Kusumah (1966-1978)
It was during Governor Wasita Kusumah’s administration that deeper efforts to overcome poverty and hunger in NTB, especially on Lombok Island, were carried out, including by establishing the Lombok Task Force program.
It was during this time that the belief began to emerge that the threat of crop failure and famine was not something that could not be eliminated. Slowly but surely, the people of South Lombok are growing in confidence that their lives can change. The NTB government is also growing in confidence that poverty and hunger in South Lombok can be overcome by continuing to encourage accelerated development.
3. The reign of Governor Brigadier General TNI (Ret.) Gatot Soeherman (1978-1988)
During his leadership, history recorded that NTB was self-sufficient in rice in 1984. The fruit of Operation Tekad Makmur (OTM) which began in the 1980-1981 planting season. At that time, OTM was carried out on an area of 26 thousand hectares in South Lombok by encouraging the intensification of upland rice (Gora). This is an agricultural operation that is perhaps one of the largest in the New Order era and at the same time the most successful.
4. Period of Administration of the Governor and Deputy Governor, Major General TNI (Ret.) Dr. H. Warsito, S.H., MM. & Drs. H. Lalu Srigede (1988-1998)
Governor Warsito led NTB for 10 years. He inherited a major achievement from his predecessor who succeeded in bringing NTB to rice self-sufficiency in 1984. Apart from continuing to strengthen the achievement of rice self-sufficiency, Warsito also
laying a number of important foundations, one of which stands out is the foundation for the development of the tourism sector.
Likewise, the idea of having an international airport in the southern region of Lombok, building road infrastructure and forming the Lombok-Sumbawa Tourism Promotion Agency, the embryo began in the Warsito era. Then it was continued in a more real and bigger way by the next governor.
5. Period of Administration of the Governor and Deputy Governor Drs. H. Harun Al Rasyid, M.Si. – Drs. H. Lalu Azhar (1998-2003)
Harun Al Rasyid is the first NTB governor who is not from the military. He was also the first governor who was a native of the region. In the era of his leadership, central-regional relations experienced many fundamental changes.
The era of autonomy that is rolling out as a result of political reform provides extensive opportunities for regions to manage more effectively