Customs boasts faster service
Customs boasts faster service
JAKARTA (JP): Responding to exporters' concern, customs and
excise claim its export inspection service has saved more time
through improved efficiency, after the government took over the
task from state owned PT Superintending Company of Indonesia
(Sucofindo) on Wednesday.
Customs and excise documents reveal the office has cut short a
number of procedures resulting in a more efficient inspection
service.
"With this streamlining we can cut short the procedures to
less than 15 days compared to the 15 to 20 days under Sucofindo,"
said Herman, the head of the custom excise's system procedure
section.
According to him, under Sucofindo, exporters had to wait up to
20 days from the submission of necessary documents until
receiving the customs and excise' verification.
Whereas under customs and excise, exporters faced simpler
inspection procedures, must submit fewer documents and could
exchange export data faster using the Internet, he said.
The government transferred the inspection service to customs
and excise after deciding not to renew its contract with
Sucofindo.
Sucofindo had been responsible for the export inspection
service since 1986 based on a two year contract, which the
government had previously renewed every July 31.
Herman went on to say that one of the most time saving
features of the custom and excise's service was that not all
exporters were subject to inspection.
"We wave inspections on exporters whom we know have proven
credibility," he said.
According to him, the office owns what it called a "white
list" containing names of exporters with clean credentials.
These exporters, he said, could transport their export
commodities for shipping without prior inspection.
Herman added the selected exporter still face random
inspections to detect any abuses among the white list.
Elsewhere, FX Suwito Marsam, head of the Jakarta division of
the Custom and Excise bureau said thus far the new inspection
procedure was running smoothly.
"Some exporters have been through the new procedure today and
we found no difficulty in its implementation," Suwito told The
Post.
He said that on the first day, his bureau had conducted
physical inspections of goods belonging to some 20 exporters.
The decision to let customs and excise take over the
inspection service from Sucofindo had prompted criticism claiming
the move was untimely.
Local media reported exporters from the textile and pulp and
paper industry, complaining the current finance ministry should
have delayed the takeover until the new Cabinet was formed.
They said the caretaker government had no authority to preside
over such important decisions.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri forbade caretaker ministers
from making strategic decisions. She is expected to announce the
new Cabinet lineup within this week.
However, economist Sjahrir took a different perspective,
saying that deciding to renew Sucofindo's contract could have
constituted a violation of Megawati's instruction.
"It does not mean any contract in a due period can be
automatically extended. So, from the point of view of the
ministry, I think it does not want to violate the President's
order," he said.
Next to questions over the legality of the decision, some
believe custom and excise taking over inspection service
undermines efforts to privatize Sucofindo.
The government hopes to sell off 15 percent of its stake in
Sucofindo through private placement. At present it owns 95
percent of the company with the remainder belonging to the
Geneva-based surveyor Societe General de Surveillance (SGS).
Sucofindo president Didie B. Tedjosumirat said that earnings
from the inspection service made up 48 percent of the company's
total revenue.(bkm/05/icn)