Planning To Meet The National Police Chief, Wamenaker Highlights Thugs Style Ormas In Industrial Estates

A number of security officers were on guard at one of the Bonded Logistics Centers (PLB) in Indonesia in the Krida Bahari Industrial Estate, Cakung, Jakut, Thursday, March 10, 2017. (ANTARA PHOTO-Widodo S. Jusuf)

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Manpower (Wamenaker) Immanuel Ebenezer emphasized that he would report to the National Police if there were thug-style community organizations (ormas) that interfered with factory operations and investment in a number of industrial areas.

"This cannot be allowed to happen. We will coordinate with the Police. This issue must be the concern of all parties," said Wamenaker Noel through an official statement in Jakarta, Thursday, February 13, which was confiscated by Antara.

"I will meet the National Police Chief, specifically discussing this issue. I am sure that the National Police will respond to complaints from business friends in industrial areas. This is a matter of the nation's fate," he continued.

He considered that if the factory's operations were disrupted, especially if there were investment plans that failed just because of the consideration of the actions of thugs, they would certainly hinder the absorption of labor.

"If jobs fail to create, we will all lose," said Noel.

The behavior of thugs-style mass organizations stems from the statement of the General Chairperson of the Industrial Estate Association (HKI) Sanny Iskandar.

Sanny said that mass organizations have often interfered with factory operations, held demonstrations and others. Reports to the security forces, they are no longer working.

He added that many industrial areas have been targeted by thugs-style mass organizations, such as in the Bekasi, Karawang, Batam industrial areas to East Java.

Losses are not only experienced by existing factories, but hundreds of trillions of investment plans have been canceled due to the actions of thugs.

Sanny's statement was immediately responded to by the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) Febri Hendri Antoni Arif. It turns out that the Ministry of Industry also often receives the same complaint, how disturbing thugs are.

Regarding the failure of investment due to the behavior of thugs, the Deputy for Climate Development and Investment at the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming/BKPM Riyatno asked prospective investors to discuss with his party to find solutions.

"If anything interferes with the absorption of labor, it's the enemy of the people, the common enemy," said Noel.