Streamlining the bureaucracy

Streamlining the bureaucracy

According to Minister of Industry and Trade Mohamad "Bob"
Hasan, the government intends to revamp port bureaucracies in
order to facilitate import and export procedures.

"Red tape at ports must be eliminated. Things must not be made
difficult for incoming ships," the minister said earlier this
week.

An overhaul of port bureaucracies will expedite incoming and
outgoing traffic and smooth port procedures, he said. This, in
turn, would promote local and international trading activities.

Although he is not the cabinet minister in charge of ports,
the remarks of this timber magnate turned industry and trade
minister may illustrate the image of our bureaucracy,
particularly in the communication sector.

The minister, who is no stranger to the world of sea
communications, must be familiar with the complicated nature of
(bureaucratic) procedures in this country. And this goes not only
for sea communications.

In almost every sector of our lives, the bureaucracy is viewed
as a frightening thing.

Economically, such complicated bureaucratic procedures are
most damaging. It gives rise to a high-cost economy, which makes
it difficult for Indonesian products to compete in the global
market.

We do hope the minister's remarks concerning the streamlining
of our bureaucracy can be made a reality. At the very least, such
efforts could be made in the sector of trade, which falls under
the jurisdiction of the minister. After all, in this sector too
bureaucratic procedures are complicated.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta