Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo speaks to supporters at Pagaden village, in Subang, West Java on June 17, 2014. Joko said in a session on June 20 that he would set up a maritime bank that could help farmers with financing. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)
[Updated at 9:55 p.m. on Friday, June 20, 2014]
Jakarta. Presidential candidate Joko Widodo promises to build 100 fishery centers across the archipelago and set up a maritime bank in order to boost the country fish sector.
“If elected we commit to build a hundred fishery centers, which all will be equipped with cold storage,” said Jokowi, as he popularly known, in a special session devoted to the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), the country’s most powerful business lobby group, on Friday.
Jokowi also asked that businessmen work with fisherman in developing the fisheries industry.
Jokowi’s also wants to make a maritime bank, especially to provide finance for fisherman.
“Fisherman only need Rp 400,000 to Rp 1,500,000 [$33 to $125] each time they go to sea. But sometimes it’s hard for them to come up with the money,” he said.
Despite being an archipelago nation, surrounded by oceans and seas, the fishery sector only contributes less than 5 percent of Indonesia’s gross domestic product.
Joko, governor of Jakarta, is facing former general Prabowo Subianto in the July 9 presidential election.
In Friday’s session, Joko eluded a question on the future role of foreign direct investment in his administration.
A member of the audience representing Japanese business interests in Indonesia posed a question to Joko on his view on the role of foreign direct investment related to the increasing tendency toward protectionism in Indonesia.
Joko, instead, used his three-minutes to speak on the government’s main role in providing infrastructure, the main theme that both presidential candidates had promised to the public in their policies to boost the economy.
In last Sunday’s presidential debate on the economy and social welfare, Joko said that the domestic market should not be dominated by foreigners.
Jusuf Kalla, Joko’s vice presidential running-mate, said that, if elected, their administration would prioritize the construction of an oil refinery project within the first year.
“This is the first thing that we must sort out … in the first year,” said Kalla.
He blamed the “mafia” as the reason why the oil refinery project had failed to start in Indonesia.
“It’s actually easy, but the mafia makes it difficult. We have the money, the land and the needs [for refinery],” Kalla said.
Indonesia imports crude oil to refine into fuels such as gasoline and diesel to meet more than half of its total demand, and that has contributed to a trade deficit. Importers have a strong influence in Indonesia’s oil industry.
Joko also said that, if elected, he would task Indonesian ambassadors to focus more on economic, trade and investment issues.
“Our ambassadors must be productive. They must devote 80 percent to 90 percent of their time on trade diplomacy.”
“They must know the potential, the pricing and the people to call in the country [to which they’re assigned],” said Joko. “They must also negotiate, conduct transactions and make decision on prices.”
By Tito Summa Siahaan on 09:30 pm Jun 20, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment