TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Extortion threatens BYD EV plant in West Java, lawmaker warns
Eddy cautioned that such illicit activities, carried out under the guise of CSOs, commonly referred to locally as ormas (mass organizations), would erode Indonesia’s investment climate and could drive investors away.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
People visit the booth of Chinese automobile manufacturer BYD during the Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) in Surabaya, East Java, on May 29, 2024. The government is hoping to triple domestic electric car sales this year to 50,000 units, banking on newly rolled-out incentives to boost the industry. Last year, 17,000 electric vehicles (EVs) were sold wholesale nationwide, according to the Association of Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers (Gaikindo). (AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
A
senior lawmaker has raised concerns over rampant extortion by organized groups disrupting the construction of Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD manufacturing plant in West Java, warning that such behavior could shake investor confidence in the country.
That was according to People’s Consultative Assembly Deputy Speaker Eddy Soeparno in his Instagram post on Monday, following a visit to BYD’s factory in China.
"There was an issue with thuggery, civil society organizations [CSOs] interfering with BYD’s infrastructure development. The government needs to take firm action on this,” Eddy said.
Eddy cautioned that such illicit activities, carried out under the guise of CSOs, commonly referred to locally as ormas (mass organizations), would erode Indonesia’s investment climate and could drive investors away.
“We must not let investors come here only to feel unsafe. Security is fundamental to attracting foreign capital,” he continued.
Read also: Investors bleed trillions to rampant CSO extortion in industrial zones
Indonesia has set its sights on becoming a major EV production hub, but prolonged security concerns in industrial zones risk undermining those ambitions.
