Bengkulu Governor visits Banten, interested in Village Road construction program

Serang – Bengkulu Governor Helmi Hasan visited Banten Governor Andra Soni to establish cooperation by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU). According to Helmi, his party wants to learn how the Provincial Government can play a role in the construction of roads that are under the authority of the town. The meeting was held on Friday (24/10/2025) at the Banten Governor’s Hall, Serang City. Helmi and Andra, accompanied by Banten Deputy Governor Dimyati Natakusumah, signed an agreement between Banten and Bengkulu provinces. PAGE TO CONTINUE CONTENT Helmi admitted to journalists that he is interested in following the example of the Banten Provincial Government’s way of repairing village roads that are not within the province’s authority. He wants to implement a similar policy in Bengkulu. “The Banten Provincial Government pays great attention to infrastructure, not only in areas under provincial authority, but also reaches out to villages. It is interesting because despite budget efficiency, Banten is still able to build roads to remote areas,” said Helmi. Helmi hopes that the Banten Provincial Government can make a return visit to Bengkulu. He said cross-provincial visits like this are important to strengthen inter-regional cooperation. “We hope that after this visit there will be a return visit from the Banten Provincial Government to Bengkulu. I have previously also visited several other provinces such as North Sumatra, Lampung and South Sumatra,” he said. Meanwhile, Banten Governor Andra Soni has expressed his interest in the cheap market program run in Bengkulu. According to him, this program empowers mosques as centers of social and economic activities for the community. “I saw that there is an interesting program in Bengkulu, namely religious activities that are held every Friday. In each mosque, they hold a cheap market that is prioritized for children who pray on Friday,” Andra said. “The children get the opportunity to buy basic necessities at very cheap prices. For example, rice worth Rp. 70,000 can be redeemed for only Rp. 20,000 without using APBD or APBN funds,” he said. (aik/isa)