Glowing Pearls on East Manggarai

East Manggarai Regency has a lot of culture and tourism assets. This made future prospects promises. East Manggarai parables pearl newly reclaimed from hoard of mud. 

Not yet ready to sale because still need to cleaned and promoted. Therefore, cleanse it need scrupulous in order to luster 

not fade before sold.

Not many people knew about East Manggarai in East Nusa Tenggara Province. Not just only the potential of culture and tourism, even the name is unknown. According to Vice Regent East Manggarai Regency, Agas Andreas, SH., Mhum. The branding is less famous than the genuine Regency that is Manggarai Regency. Furthermore he said, “People are more recognize Manggarai Regency than East Manggarai Regency”.

Ferry Samosir, Field Officer Manager – West Flores (Swiss contact) that faced by JN Guide in Labuan Bajo, at West Manggarai Regency also told us the same thing, last July.

Ferry said, among Ngada, East Manggarai and West Manggarai, the East Manggarai has not been developed yet. The condition has not been developed than the three other that under his supervision.

It is different if there is a question about the potential of it. But Ferry assumes East Manggarai has been more developed than Mbay and Nagikeo.

Ir.Boni Hasudungan Siregar

Chief of Development Planning Board of Manggarai Regency, Ir. Boni Hasudungan admited if his territory is still not salient compared with other District on Flores Island. Further, he reasoned that the District legitimized under the Regulations No. 36 year 2007, on August, 2007. So it’s 5 years by August.

But who can thought if the Regency which has capital in Borong has a lot of potential culture and tourism scattered throughout the region. Amazingly, the potential owned very diverse. There are Nautical and natural based tours (mountains, waterfalls, rice fields, wide savannas) spiritual tours, historical sites, Tours Lake, and so many more, as a full package, said Boni.

Galus Ganggus, S.Pd.,  Daily Executor and Secretary Ministry of the Cultural and Tourism from, said that from data accumulated by local Agencies, at least there are 104 tourist seeded have identified. “Could be more, since all potential have not accumulated yet”, as said Galus to JN Guide, early last July.

However, the potential will not cause a lot of benefits to the people if infrastructure and quality of Human Resources is still lower. 

Drs.Joseph Tote M.Si

Recoqnizing the matter, Drs. Joseph Tote MSi., Regent East Manggarai, since the beginning of his rule has set the region as tourist destinations of the world, beside as rice granary East Nusa Tenggara Province. For that it does through education and infrastructure development approaches.

According to County Government East Manggarai under the leadership he is working hard carry out mission tourism. Galus added, have billion Rupiah of spent to build the basic infrastructure in North Coast and South. Isolation remote areas have opened by built a lot of road to attraction now.

The efforts have done is reasonable, remembering the potential owned District, particulary in culture and tourism sectors so diversified and promises.

Supporting sectors as agriculture and plantation also built sequentially. In addition to prepare as East Nusa Tenggara rice granary also closely related to the development of eco Tourism that very compromising.

Galus added, between agriculture and tourism has a very closely relations. For culture development and tourism may advance if the needs of food have been fulfilled.

It cannot sideline namely the improvement of the quality of Human Resources (SDM) on his region. It is marked by the local given curricula (mulok) in elementary school until junior secondary school at the stage early.

Soon, mulok also be taught at the level of senior secondary school, he said. It’s all intended to public of East Manggarai Regency later not only be audience when the cultural and tourism sectors is in such advance.

Teaching curriculum mulok in elemetary scholl until junior secondary school an idea Joseph Tote, Regent East Manggarai previously been overrunning of office as the Ministry of Cultural and Tourism Manggarai Regency (before expansion).

In an interview with JN Guide, Regent said, granting mulok intended as the basic of contruction of character his society.

“We ranging from formal education, so later expected to those who have had elementary education, and continued may as well as partake enforce, preserve the values of the ancestors who have implanted umpteen hundred years and is now have felt fade”, he said.

Not only that, Regent also have an idea areas of the government office in one place designed resembling the customs. Buildings the located in Legong, not far from Borong, The capital East Manggarai Regency, it will also equipped housing construction custom (adat) government employee thus mechanism community service may easier and quickly.

In order to preserve the customs (adat) community, the Regent will also developing the territory of culture tour in 12 kedaluan kind of the village. “We’d like to look back symbols kedaluan on the ago”, he said.

He thinks development it is an attempt laying of association character East Manggarai. Cause on the kedaluan it, functionary of the government hereditary, to get the stability of the security at that time.

Now the condition had changed. Quite the current alteration of the values of the civilization and ethics and preserved in builds character people in East Manggarai.

Agas Andreas SH.M.Hum

The idea Regent Manggarai it’s completely supported his Vice. He thinks in building sector culture and tourism, top priority in aspects of the construction of its human quality resources. According to Agas Andreas, however nice and diverse attractions, if human not ready to manage it is not it potential be worth.

Graduated Program Universitas Airlangga Surabaya graduates it pointed out that success the Provincial Government Bali in develop potential culture and more human accentuate of the construction of human, so many tourists interested to travel to Bali.

Lecturer Graduated Program Study of Law at the Universitas Nusa Cendana, Kupang, it presupposes personnel and attractions as sugar. It’s tourists as ants.

The problem now is, if the potential culture and tourism in East Manggarai identical with Bali?

Ferry of Swisscontact remind, tour in Flores including East Manggarai it tour adventure not like fun at Bali. So kinds of tourist also difference.

“If in the Bali kind of tourist want to fun as Australia. Anyway tourist the come in Flores it tourist likes climbing mountains (trekking), playing at paddy fields”, he said.

Therefore, he thinks to find in Flores is its authenticity. “We do not need to be arena rock climbing mountains revamp. We maintain authenticity and natural beauty and so on”, he said.

The inputs as this is beneficial to Regency Government East Manggarai prepares make a certainly grand design in the culture and tourism. Boni admit East Manggarai have not had it. So it is still do process identification while infrastructure building the beginning.

East Manggarai parables pearl newly reclaimed from hoard of mud. Not yet ready to sale because still need to cleaned and promoted. Therefore, cleanse it need scrupulous in order to luster not fade before sold.

Likewise East Manggarai newly developed but has potential incredible. It is time the whole stakeholders eye-opening to the joint expanding it.

The consequence, portion construction budget in sectors of the need improved. The Council has agreed to increase portion of the budget at the sector. The Chairman of the Legislative Council county East Manggarai, Johanes Nahas ST recognized when encountered in Borong early last July.

Senior Politicians Party Golkar acknowledges the extent of the potential of the cultural and tourism owned County. He thinks enhance and facilitated of the budget. The Council, he thinks very enthusiastically supported department concerned develop assets it owned. In favor of the Council also determined regulation in the field permitting in order to facilitate the investment in at the sector.

They realize the budget at the tourism indeed still very small. He also confessed to still lack experience in the management of cultural assets and tourism that gives benefits to the public welfare. Therefore, they also plans conduct study appeals in some county which has been more advanced.**Sapto Adiwiloso