Commission VII DPR Asks Government To Dominate Foreigners' Business In Bali

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission VII DPR Chusnunia Chalim asked the government to take firm action against the phenomenon of business domination owned by foreign nationals (WNA) in Bali, because it has an impact on local residents and business actors.

He said that his party had received many aspirations and complaints from the community and local MSME players regarding the increasing dominance of tourism businesses carried out by foreigners. Even this phenomenon can also be seen on social media.

"The number of foreign tourists in Bali is not comparable to the occupancy rate of hotels and inns and after being traced it turns out that many tourists have opened lodging, boarding houses or the like that are not licensed," Chusnunia said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, August 12.

The practice of illegal business by foreigners, he said, is allegedly increasingly widespread by utilizing loopholes in the online single submission (OSS) system which is considered to provide easy access for foreign investors to penetrate strategic and even micro sectors, such as car rental services to homestays.

According to him, this condition will cause unfair competition that has an impact on local business actors, because it increases the risk of economic inequality and reduces the movement space of Balinese people in the tourism sector.

"If left behind continuously, it will make local residents more cornered. We ask the government to take firm action against this condition. Bali should not be allowed to become a free market which in the end harms its citizens," he said.

He reminded that business ownership by foreigners in the Indonesian tourism sector has been strictly regulated through various investment regulations.

In addition, he revealed that many foreign tourists also work in Bali, which has an impact on local workers.

According to him, many of them initially came on vacation visas, but instead opened businesses and worked illegally.

Among them, he said, the foreigners work as photographers, tour guides, and directors of surfing who clearly misuse visit visas.

"The government certainly should not be silent," he said.

Chusnunia pun meminta pemerintah daerah dan pemerintah pusat berkolaborasi untuk memblobat laju overtourism yang ada di Bali dengan memperketat izin investasi pada level usaha mikro, kecil, dan menengah (UMKM) bagi WNA.

"Through joint supervision, we hope that the development and empowerment of MSMEs can be prioritized for local entrepreneurs," he said.