IMIP Morowali Polemic, Leader Of Commission V DPR Urges Government To Audit All Special Airports In Indonesia

Deputy Chairman of Commission V of the DPR, Syaiful Huda, urged the government to conduct an audit of compliance with all special airports in the strategic industrial area in Indonesia.

This pressure was conveyed by Huda in response to the polemic of the operation of the airport owned by PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, which is said to have escaped the supervision of state equipment, such as immigration and customs.

Huda said this audit was needed to evaluate the sovereign gap that allegedly occurred at IMIP Airport over the past six years.

"We encourage the strategic coordination of the Transportation and Defense and Security authorities, to conduct a compliance audit of all strategic Special Airports in Indonesia that have high technical specifications to evaluate the sovereign gap that allegedly occurred at Central Sulawesi IMIP Airport for the last six years," Huda told reporters, Friday, November 28.

Huda explained that special airports such as IMIP Airport may indeed operate based on Law Number 1/2009 concerning Aviation Article 192.

It's just that, said Huda, the operations of this special airport still have to comply with regulations such as commercial airport standards, especially related to supervision, trained personnel, to safety and security facilities.

Based on this, the PKB politician asked the public for data disclosure from the airport, including flight data to service standards at the airport.

"If there is currently a spotlight from the Ministry of Defense, it is better if there is a special step to explain to the public regarding flight data, service standards, and the intensity of supervision that has been carried out so far. Thus we are trapped in a polemic that can trigger divisions," explained Huda.

The PKB legislator from the West Java electoral district also agreed with Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsudin that the operation of IMIP Special Airport is an anomaly.

According to Huda, the absence of state authority such as customs and immigration at airports with high levels of human traffic and industrial goods is indeed quite risky and has the potential to threaten sovereignty.

"The de jure IMIP Airport is legal in the context of civilian regulation, but de factoically creates a serious sovereignty anomaly in the eyes of the state security forces due to the lack of supervision by law enforcement agencies, this must be explained to the public comprehensively," said Huda.

Therefore, the leadership of the DPR Commission in charge of transportation requested the integration of sectoral compliance which is the domain of the Ministry of Transportation with national security supervision which is the domain of law enforcement officials.

Because according to him, the IMIP Airport controversy creates negative public sentiment towards foreign investment, which has the potential to damage the long-term investment climate if the issue of sovereignty is not handled in a transparent, assertive and systemic manner.

"Therefore, we urge that this problem be resolved comprehensively so that it does not become illegal speculation that is detrimental to the country socially, politically, and economically," he concluded.