Repairing The National Logistics Ecosystem In 8 Ports, Coordinating Minister Luhut: Who Is Barring Us Bulldozer

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan stated that the government in 2021 is targeting to complete the development of the National Logistic Ecosystem (NLE) or a national logistics ecosystem in eight ports in the country.

"There are eight big ones. It's here (Batam), Jakarta (Tanjung) Priok, yes, later also Patimban, then Tanjung Mas, Surabaya, Medan, Semarang, Makassar. So that's what we want this year to be," said Luhut in a virtual press conference, Thursday, March 18.

Luhut emphasized that he was not playing games in solving the tangled threads of the national logistics system. He also threatened to bulldoze anyone who got in the way of the pilot plan for the national logistics ecosystem.

"We have a meeting, anyway we can. Who is in the way, we are the bulldozers," he said.

Furthermore, Luhut explained, the NLE platform would all be integrated into one system.

"Our problem in this republic is that we never work holistically. The airport is the same. So that it is orderly. There are too many meetings with this. Earlier we made efficiency but effective," he said.

Luhut said that if other countries can make financing efficiency with their logistics ecosystem, why can't Indonesia. According to him, this logistics system can reduce the high cost of logistics.

Luhut said, the difference in logistics costs in the country with Singapore is quite far, where Singapore is 13 percent, while Indonesia is 25.3 percent.

"You imagine if there is so much trade, people are already 10 percent different, why do people come to Indonesia to invest. Simple as that," he said.

Luhut also wants to implement an anti-dumping policy to deal with dumping practices by exporting countries.

"We have our goods subject to anti-dumping. The Minister of Trade is screaming. We can be efficient. We use anti-dumping. We are truly competitive," he said.