Guaranteed No Extortion, Bahlil Asks Investors To Directly Invest In Indonesia

Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Investment Minister/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia asked investors not to hesitate to invest directly in Indonesia. So, there is no need to go through other countries such as Singapore if you want to invest.

Bahlil also said that the investment pattern in Indonesia was much better and more transparent. In fact, Bahlil guarantees that the practice of extortion will no longer exist. Therefore, said Bahlil, if you can directly invest in Indonesia, why go through others first?

"If it is possible now (investment) there is no need to go through other countries, just go to Indonesia. Now there are no more extortion, just go ahead," he said in a virtual press conference, Thursday, January 27.

"If you can go directly, why do you have to go through other countries," he continued.

Bahlil said that most of the foreign investment entering Indonesia will come from Singapore during 2021. However, according to him, this investment is not only from Singaporean money. In fact, there is a high possibility that Indonesians also have money in Singapore which is then invested in Indonesia.

"Singapore is the highest, but I'm not sure this is all Singapore's money. Maybe some Indonesians also have money there," he said.

Furthermore, Bahlil said that it happened because Singapore became a hub for investors. According to him, many investors have injected their funds into Singapore. Then the Singaporean company manages the funds by investing in other countries, including Indonesia.

"So he (Singapore) is this hub. It's not an open secret anymore. So Singapore is a hub, so terminals for several countries that enter, just enter Indonesia," he explained.

The country with the most investment in Indonesia

Based on data from the Ministry of Investment, during 2021 the most foreign investment funds entering Indonesia will come from Singapore. The value reached 9.4 billion US dollars, or about 30.2 percent of the total foreign investment that entered Indonesia.

Then, in second place is Hong Kong. The value reaches 4.6 billion US dollars. In third position is China with an investment of 3.2 billion US dollars.

Then, the fourth position is the United States with an investment value of 2.5 billion US dollars. In fifth position is Japan with an investment of 2.3 billion US dollars.

The total foreign investment in Indonesia throughout 2021 is IDR 454 trillion or 50.4 percent of the total investment realization that enters Indonesia. Then, the amount was up 10 percent from the previous year.