PON XVII ( Effendi.Z from Samarinda)

East Borneo to host National Weeks Games

East Borneo or Kalimantan is the widest and the bigest province in Indonesia. Its teritory reach 20 865 774 hectare or 1,5 times width of Java Island in adding Madura Island or 12 percent from entire teritory of Indonesia. Near by the international sea rute, Makassar strait. Bordered by Sabah (Malaysia) at north, East Celebes (Sulawesi) at east, South Kalimantan at south, South East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and Sarawak (Malaysia) at west.

Established at January 9^th 1957 as ordered by Indonesian Regulation number 25 year of 1956. After long time under Kalimantan Residence headed in Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan). East Kalimantan is devided in to 4 cities and 10 residence.The cities are Samarinda (province kapital city), Balikpapan, Bontang and Tarakan. The residence are Kutai Kertanegara, Paser, Berau, Bulungan, Kutai Barat, Kutai Timur, Malinau, Nunukan, Penajam Paser Utara and the latest is Tanah Tidung.

East Kalimantan has variety etnics, religion, race, and diversity in culture and tradition. Inherit a long history and rich natural resources, its land cover 19 844 117 hectare dominated by green rain forests. Its seas measured from 12 mile at caostal linecovers 1 021 657 hectare.

As national hope East Kalimantan has slow development and lack of progress in moving forward at The New Orde (Orde Baru) for 32 years. Now in The Reformation Era (Era Reformasi) new hopes come as the new regulation; Regulation number 32 year of 2004 about Region Governance arrived to reach the aim in making Indonesia as welfare state by giving wide authority for region goverment.

East Kalimantan’s forests, oil, and sea product are numerous and await to be explored. Natural resources exploration makes East Kalimantan become the biggest contributor for Indonesia Total Income wheater there is only 10 percent that come back to East Kalimantan. Even so, the development requires more funding to catch it’s goals.

East Kalimantan’s development vision is making fair and balance progress to reach wealth society. In term to realize that goal, East Kalimantan arrangged 3 grand strategies or development priority. First is to increase the human resourcess quality. Second is to develop infra structure reconstruction. Third is to develop farming in wide ways.

At the future, the development out put in infra structure sector will contribute in suporting East Kalimantan sucessory as the host of the XVII National Weeks Games (Pekan Olahraga Nasional/PON) at July 6^th until 17^th in 2008. East Kalimantan has stated 3 PON sucessory, first is success in hosting the PON, second is success in prestige to gain big five rank and third is success in enpowering the society economies.

Now, East Kalimantan keeps developing and making progress. It has motto that says “proud to develop East Kalimantan” (bangga membangun Kaltim). So, everyone at East Kalimantan should take any part in developing East Kalimantan and proud of it.