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strong>Nov. 15, p13

Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan has pledged to provide more opportunities for the private sector to develop transportation infrastructure, saying that the government could use the assistance from businesses to realize the sea-highway initiative.

'€œWe are currently in the process of revising a regulation on port operation permits, so that anyone will be able to develop and operate a port. As long as it does not involve the state budget, the private sector should be able to build a port because the state budget has its limits,'€ Jonan said in a discussion with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) on Friday.

Your comments:

The infrastructure (hardware) can be provided by the private sector. But the operator (software/operating system) must be scrutinized by the government.

There is a risk of rampant smuggling if ports are operated by private sectors '€” which isn'€™t to say that if government operates it is not vulnerable to rampant smuggling, too.

The first thing that would cross my mind if I were a private port owner would be bypassing customs and immigration.

I think an airline would think the same way if left in charge of operating its own airport: Imagine an airplane landing at its own airport with aircraft tires in its cargo.

The tires don'€™t need to pass customs '€” they can go straight to maintenance facility to be used when needed.

Thus, it'€™s duty free.

H Cahyadi