The Purpose of Forming DSI Can Fail If Exporter Data is Not Protected

JAKARTA - The government's plan to form PT Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia (DSI) as the sole exporter of strategic commodities has been highlighted. The government is considered to have not answered the fundamental problems related to the protection of trade data owned by exporters which are high-value business assets.

"Who guarantees that the buyer will not be seized? Who guarantees that long-term contracts will not leak to competitors? The government has not answered this question to this day," said intelligence and strategic policy practitioner, Major General TNI Achmad Adipati Karnaeidjaja to reporters quoted on Friday, June 5.

Achmad said that in the world of intelligence, data is a strategic asset whose value can even exceed physical assets. Therefore, DSI is considered at risk of creating new problems if given the authority to control all export data without clear protection mechanisms.

However, Achmad appreciated President Prabowo Subianto's move to close state leaks due to under-invoicing practices, transfer pricing, manipulation of export documents, and foreign exchange evasion that have occurred in the natural resources sector.

However, this good intention could turn into a problem if DSI develops into a new monopoly.

"This is the root of the problem, if it is not answered, then DSI will only become a new cartel," he said.

Apart from buyer protection and trade data, Achmad also highlighted the unclearness of the risk management mechanism for trade.

According to him, if DSI becomes the sole exporter, the country has the potential to bear a large risk when global commodity prices fall or there is a default from foreign buyers. Achmad also questioned the supervision system for DSI which will later manage transactions worth trillions of rupiah.

The government's plan to form PT Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia (DSI) as the sole exporter of strategic commodities is highlighted. The government is considered to have not answered the fundamental problems related to the protection of trade data owned by exporters which are high-value business assets.

Achmad proposed a layered audit involving internal auditors, international independent auditors, BPK, to special supervision from the KPK, PPATK, and BPKP.

As an alternative, Achmad offered a model that he called safer and more constitutional, namely forming an export supervisory agency in the form of a Public Service Agency (BLU) instead of a BUMN Persero.

The institution serves as a price validator, supervisor of export proceeds, artificial intelligence (AI) based transfer pricing detector, and national export data guardian.

According to Achmad, the model allows the state to continue to carry out the function of supervision as mandated by Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution without having to take over the exporter's economic rights over buyers, contracts, and trade networks that have been legally established.

So in the future, continued Achmad, DSI will not turn into a 'new monster' in the national export governance.

"DSI does not need to be the sole exporter. DSI is enough to be a National Commodity Intelligence Agency that validates prices, detects transfer pricing with AI, oversees DHE, and becomes the guardian of export data," he concluded.