Ultimatum Menkeu Purbaya Freeze Customs Back To New Order Model, Director General: We Will Be Better

Director General of Customs and Excise Djaka Budhi Utama when met at the Press Conference on the Destruction of Illegal Excise Goods at the DJBC Jakarta Regional Office, Wednesday (3/12/2025) (ANTARA/Bayu Saputra)

JAKARTA - Director General of Customs and Excise Djaka Budhi Utama emphasized his commitment to improving performance, services, and removing the negative image that has been attached to his agency.

This statement was conveyed following the ultimatum of the Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadive who opened the option of returning the customs system to the New Order era examination model if internal improvements did not show results.

Djaka considered the Minister of Finance's statement as a form of correction that should be used as a momentum for change. He emphasized that Customs and Excise would try to carry out a comprehensive transformation.

"The point is that it is a form of correction. What is certain is that in the future Customs and Excise will try to be better," Djaka said at a press conference on the destruction of illegal excisable goods at the DJBC Jakarta Regional Office, Antara, Wednesday, December 3.

According to him, the big agenda for DJBC improvements includes the transformation of work culture, increased supervision, to improving services across lines.

"Starting from culture, improving performance, then increasing supervision both at ports and airports. Of course we will improve all services," he said.

He emphasized that changes must be felt directly by the community. Djaka also said that a number of steps to improve had actually been going on, one of which was the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to eradicate underinvoiting practices.

Responding to the statement of the Minister of Finance Purbaya who gave one year to fix DJBC, Djaka expressed optimism that he could meet the target.

"You have to be optimistic. If we are not optimistic, next year we will finish everything. Do we want Customs and Excise employees to be laid off for blind salary? Of course we won't," he said.

Djaka added that internal reform requires public support. He highlighted a number of aspects that need to be addressed, ranging from the quality of human resources, the adequacy of equipment, to the image of the institution.

"Maybe we will eliminate the image in the community that Customs and Excise is a hotbed of extortion," he said.

Previously reported, Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadive emphasized that the customs system could be returned to the New Order era model through the involvement of SGS if the Customs and Excise improvement stalled. At that time, some Customs employees were laid off because their functions were replaced by SGS and PT Surveyor Indonesia.

Although he emphasized that he was not angry, Purbaya asked the Ministry of Finance to work seriously and consistently. He considered that the involvement of SGS was only a backup option, considering that Customs' internal technology is now growing rapidly.

Purbaya also highlighted two main problems that urgently needed to be addressed, namely the practice of export underinvoiting and the escape of illegal goods.