Return to a maritime country

Return to a maritime country

One project offered at the recently concluded Indonesian
Infrastructure Summit held in Jakarta from Jan. 17 to Jan. 18 was
a port development to function as a hub for shipping imports and
exports.

Indonesian exports shipped out of the country for decades have
first been sent to larger ports in Singapore or Malaysia, making
us very much dependent on foreign vessels and leaving local
shipping companies underdeveloped. All this costs the country an
unbelievable US$2 billion a year (The Jakarta Post, Jan. 17).

Every Indonesian as early as junior high school is taught
about the glory of our ancestors who made this country a maritime
nation when the Buddhist dynasty of Sriwijaya ruled the waves.
Its trading ships whose models are depicted on reliefs found in
the Borobudur temple in Central Java, sailed as far as West
Africa's Ghana. This was proved by an expedition voyage tracing
the cinnamon route, which successfully set sail from Jakarta on
Aug. 15, 2003, arriving at Accra on Feb. 23 last year.

In view of the local and foreign investors' interest in
participating in the summit, in which no less than 20 major
economies were represented, it is now a good time to return the
country to a maritime nation by developing its seaports and
shipping companies.

Although President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono assured all
participants he was serious about eliminating obstructions to
investment and economic activities (the Post, Jan. 18), it has
yet to be seen how his intentions will be implemented.

Most foreign participants have complained about the many
things that impede the creation of conducive investment climate,
notably legal uncertainty and rampant corruption.

These two important matters should be seriously addressed by
the President. But how? The readiness of foreign investors and
the international community to help develop the nation's
infrastructure -- to spur on its growth -- needs to be quickly
responded to.

The recently issued Presidential Instruction No, 5/2004 on
corruption eradication, a campaign that Susilo himself
spearheads, must be implemented. So far, since its issuance on
Dec. 9 -- marking a national Antigraft Day -- it has not produced
any signs of a result. People are yet to witness what Susilo and
his Cabinet will do to implement this instruction.

Surely, $2 billion of lost revenue is worth the effort.

M. RUSDI
Jakarta