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Govt to establish maritime policy in July
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Maritime development -- Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung (pictured) says the government is set to issue a maritime development policy in July. (Kompas.com/Indra Akuntono)
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abinet Secretary Pramono Anung has said the government is set to establish a maritime policy as a reference for Indonesia’s maritime development. The policy is targeted to be completed in July.
In a limited Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office on Wednesday, he said, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo urged the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister to immediately work on a “simple but implementable” maritime policy.
"The President has given until July to set the implementable policy," Pramono said. During the meeting, he further explained, President Jokowi also called for the promotion of fish.
Earlier, Jokowi said the maritime development policy should be able to consolidate existing maritime development programs, saying the policy would serve as a guideline for maritime development in the country.
"I also need to underline that this policy should be good not only on paper, but it should bring real positive impacts on the welfare of fishermen and Indonesian people overall," Jokowi said.
He said Indonesia's maritime sector currently contributed less than 30 percent to gross domestic product (GDP), lower than other maritime countries. Japan’s maritime sector, for instance, contributed 48.5 percent to GDP.
He further said the potential of the maritime sector in the country was worth $1.2 trillion a year and expected it to absorb 40 million workers. "This means there is still a lot of potential that has not yet been fully utilized," he said, adding that the development projects in Indonesia’s maritime sector must be well-targeted. (ebf)
