ollowing protests by several lobby groups, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Wednesday promised to keep micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on new negative investment list (DNI) that will be announced soon.
The DNI relaxation is part of the 16th economic policy package that was announced last week, but the government has delayed the issuance of details of the policy that, among other things, removes 54 business categories from the DNI, following protests.
Those who voiced opposition to the new policy include the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) and the Association of Young Indonesian Businesspeople (Hipmi).
“I have been called by the Kadin and Apindo chairs, who complained about it. The draft [of the presidential regulation] has not reached the palace. I have not signed it,” said Jokowi when speaking at the closing ceremony of the Kadin leadership meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The policy on the DNI relaxation was not only protested by the business community, but also became a burning political issue as Jokowi’s rivals highlighted it as a sign the government was siding with foreign businesses, ignoring local businesspeople’s interest.
Jokowi said Indonesia should become a “fertile ground” for local MSMEs to grow and various policies reflected the government’s stance that has always sided with small businesses.
“I am a former small entrepreneur. Our children also run MSMEs, selling martabak (sweet or savory pancake) and banana cake,” the President added as quoted by kontan.co.id.(bbn)
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