Development is considered minimal, Tabagsel is said to want to become an independent province.

During the leadership of North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution, the people strongly desire more advanced development for South Tapanuli (Tabagsel).

However, according to a Tabagsel youth figure, the community is actually anxious because they feel there is minimal development attention from the North Sumatra Provincial Government.

Therefore, it is time for Tabagsel to separate from North Sumatra because they want to become an independent province with prosperous and thriving people.

Tabagsel has incredible natural resource potential, such as gold mines in Mandailing Natal, geothermal power plants, extensive palm oil plantations, hydropower potential, and a long coastline.

Not only that, Tabagsel also holds world heritage in the form of biodiversity, including the habitat of the Sumatran Tiger and Tapanuli Orangutan in Batang Toru, as well as the Batang Gadis National Park conservation area.

“Tabagsel is very rich. Taxes from our region flow to the central and provincial governments, but what returns to the people is poverty, lagging education, inadequate hospitals, and severely damaged roads. So it’s natural for us to think that Tabagsel should stand alone as a province,” he emphasized.

He gave an example: the existence of BB license plates used in Tabagsel seems to be historical evidence that since the Dutch colonial era, the Tabagsel region was indeed separated from North Sumatra.

“If Langkat has many BL (Aceh) vehicles, Palas and Labusel have many BM (Riau) vehicles, and Mandailing has many BA (West Sumatra) vehicles, that’s normal. But strangely, the BB plates, which are originally from Tabagsel, are often not recognized,” he said.

The disappointment of the Tabagsel community peaked after the failure of road construction in Sipiongot, which was dragged into a legal case. This highly anticipated strategic project was abandoned due to alleged corruption.

“This is clear proof that Tabagsel is not a priority. Even vital roads can fail because of individuals’ actions, while our people continue to suffer,” he added.

He emphasized that the idea of Tabagsel becoming its own province is not merely an emotional issue, but a real aspiration from the community who are fed up with development injustice.

“If the provincial government continues to ignore us, it’s better for Tabagsel to determine its own fate. We lack neither social capital nor resources to be independent,” he said.

He also mentioned public services that are far behind compared to neighboring provinces.

“Samsat services in Riau or West Sumatra are much better. It’s ironic that we, who are rich, are made poor in our own home,” he criticized.

In his closing statement, he invited all elements of the Tabagsel community to unite in fighting for development justice. “If North Sumatra is incapable of managing Tabagsel, let us manage ourselves. Tabagsel must be independent,” he concluded.