The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) aired complaints Monday to the Jakarta administration regarding business hurdles it faced in the capital.
Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said the organization was concerned about frequent floods and chronic traffic jams that had disrupted its activities.
"They asked the administration to expeditiously overcome those issues," he told reporters at City Hall after meeting with SCCCI representatives.
He said the SCCCI also asked for an accelerated process to acquire business permits.
"I can understand their complaints because, for example, it takes at least two months to legally liquidate a company here," said Fauzi.
"But we told them that we soon would cut the days required to process business permits from 169 days to only 38."
A survey carried out by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of World Bank, showed red tape in obtaining licenses discouraged foreign investors from doing business in the capital.
Indonesia was ranked 123 out of 178 countries in the survey of conducive business climates.
To find ways to attract foreign investors to the city, the administration, represented by the Jakarta Bureau of Capital Investment and Regional Monetary Management, and the IFC signed an agreement April 10.
Based on the agreement, the IFC would make recommendations on how to reduce the time required for issuing business permits.
Bureau head Sukri Bey said investors soon would face only eight permit applications, less than half of the currently required 19.
Hurdles also appear in road conditions across the capital.
Bambang Susantono, deputy to the coordinating minister for the economy, infrastructure and regional development said recently that damaged roads had set back the country's growth and hurt business competitiveness.
He said Indonesia was ranked 91st among 131 countries surveyed this year by the World Economic Forum in the area of transportation infrastructure, as compared to 89th last year.
The flow of goods to and from Tanjung Priok port has also been disrupted due to worsening road conditions and a scarcity of trailers.
Up to 60 percent of import-export activities in the country go through Tanjung Priok port, according to government records.
The Land Transportation Organization (Organda) said potential losses due to the damaged Cakung-Cilincing road heading to Tanjung Priok could reach Rp 2.2 billion (about US$243,000) for trailer renters every day.
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