Director General Of Customs And Excise Will Involve The TNI And Polri To Eradicate Smuggling Practices

Director General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance Djaka Budi Utama. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Director General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance, Djaka Budi Utama, said that he would cooperate with TNI and Polri officers in an effort to eradicate smuggling practices which have been still a gap in the state revenue system.

Djaka said the move was part of the order of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto who asked him to oversee the performance of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) in supporting state revenues, especially from the customs sector.

"There are many dark ports that may need to be coordinated with friends in the TNI and the police. Perhaps one of the points is to ensure that there is no smuggling or reducing smuggling so that state revenues can be in line with targets," he said after the KiTa State Budget press conference in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Saturday, May 24.

Djaka added that coordination with law enforcement officials is the key to closing gaps that have been used by perpetrators of smuggling goods in and out of Indonesian territory.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati inaugurated Djaka as the new Director General of Customs and Excise replacing Askolani.

In his remarks, Sri Mulyani hoped that Djaka's presence could strengthen cross-institutional synergy.

"So the presence of Mr. Djaka is an added value that we hope will support and improve the Ministry of Finance's ability to coordinate much better and more effectively with various law enforcement officers and other agencies," he said.

He also emphasized the importance of cooperation between ministries and institutions to secure state revenues, both from the tax and non-tax sectors, as well as improve the image of tax and customs institutions in the eyes of the public.

Furthermore, the State Treasurer acknowledged that the system used by DJBC, such as the administrator database (DBA) and Customs-Excise Information System and Automation (CEISA), had provided convenience, but the public still often complained about it.

"The image from the Directorate General of Taxes and Customs and Excise must be maintained and continuously improved. The public wants tax revenues to increase, but the public and the business world are usually very reluctant to pay taxes. This is a contradiction that must be continuously managed," said Sri Mulyani.