Beware Of Rp350 Billion Of Rice Demurrage, KPK Encourages Port Governance Reform

Illustration of rice confinement at the port (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) together with four ministries/agencies in the National Strategy for Corruption Prevention (Stranas PK) has asked for accelerated port governance reform.

This was conveyed by KPK spokesman Tessa Mahardika in response to the issue of demurrage or a fine of Rp. 350 billion due to the detention of 490,000 tons of imported rice at Tanjung Priok Port and Tanjung Perak Port.

"We convey that the KPK together with four other ministries/agencies, namely Bappenas, Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), the Presidential Staff Office, KemenPANRB who are members of Stranas PK continue to encourage port governance reform as an effort to prevent corruption," said Tessa, quoted on Monday, June 24.

Tessa said reforms should be carried out to simplify business processes and governance through port services digitally. "So that the process time is effective and the cost is efficient," he said.

"As a result, it can reduce logistics costs as well as (provide, ed) certainty of service time," continued the spokesman with the background of this investigator.

Furthermore, Tessa said that currently there is a Circular Letter from the Director General of Sea Transportation regarding the Implementation of Full Service (Mandatory) for Single Submissionon Services (SSm Transport) One Cycle and Information for Domestic Manifest Services by the Ministry of Transportation.

However, the port service bureaucracy is still complicated because it involves units from many stakeholders, the private sector, and the government that are not integrated. "So it creates expensive logistics costs and uncertain service times," he concluded.