JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto has harshly criticized the licensing bureaucracy, which is considered too slow and opens up room for extortion. He said many entrepreneurs complained because business permits in Indonesia can take up to two years.
In fact, according to Prabowo, other countries are able to issue permits in just a few weeks.
"If other countries are two weeks, why are we two years?" said Prabowo at the Attorney General's Office, Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
He admitted that he had simplified the rules many times. However, after being cut, the ministry and agencies actually made new technical rules.
"We have simplified it, made another ministerial regulation, technical regulations," he said.
Prabowo openly alluded to bureaucratic practices that were allegedly deliberately complicating permits in order to make money.
"There are those who will ask for feedback so that the permit is expedited," he said.
Therefore, Prabowo asked the Minister of State Secretary to form a special deregulation task force to reduce rules that are considered to hinder investment.
He also touched on the case of the import permit for hospital gas which has dragged on until the supply of gas has become scarce.
"It's just about permits," said Prabowo.
According to the President, the state must help entrepreneurs who really want to work and invest, not even complicate it with layered regulations.
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