Aan took an oath before President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo last Wednesday at the State Palace, taking over from Ahmad Taufiqoerrochman, who is retiring.

“I will increase [Bakamla’s] presence at sea, particularly in the areas where our presence is needed,” Aan said at the Bakamla headquarters on Friday.

He also vowed to improve coordination and synergy with other maritime stakeholders, a measure he deemed necessary to help overcome Bakamla’s lack of human resources, weapons systems and patrol boats to support its operations.

“[Bakamla’s] weapons systems are still insufficient, but bear in mind, that with synergy [with other stakeholders] I will handle this issue,” Aan said, adding that he preferred to first try his best to maximize any existing resources and show the results of his work before asking for the government’s help to upgrade Bakamla’s armaments.

Experts have said that coordination would be among the most challenging problems Aan faced, as maintaining security and law enforcement in Indonesia’s waters involved multiple government agencies and ministerial units.

Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a research professor at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences' (LIPI) Center for Political Studies, said the new Bakamla chief would have to navigate multiple stakeholders with overlapping authorities over sea-based operations, such as the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, the Indonesian Navy and the water police unit.

She said ego and competition among these stakeholders often hindered the effectiveness of their operations at sea.

“The main challenge is political will [of other institutions]. If the President has given his order […] Bakamla should be stronger in its support [of other institutions],” Dewi said.

Greater cooperation and synergy between stakeholders was also important to ensure there would not be any unnecessary spending on maritime security patrols and operations, she said.

Bakamla was established in December 2014 under the 2014 Maritime Affairs Law as a bridge between the many institutions involved in the country's maritime sector, as well as to boost law enforcement in Indonesian waters.

Jokowi recently expressed confidence Aan’s appointment would bring Bakamla a step closer to becoming a professional coast guard force rather than just a coordinator of efforts to secure the country’s maritime interests.

“We hope Bakamla will be the embryo of an Indonesian coast guard,” Jokowi said after Aan’s swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday.

Recent encroachments into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone in the North Natuna Sea by Chinese coast guards and fishing vessels have shown how easy it is for foreign vessels to illegally enter Indonesian waters because of the lack of patrols by a strong law enforcement agency, LIPI’s Dewi said.

Dewi called on Bakamla to coordinate with its partners to conduct effective law enforcement operations.

Military observer Anton Aliabbas urged the government to address the overlapping regulations and authorities in Indonesian waters through the recently floated idea of an omnibus bill on maritime security.

“The management of maritime affairs needs serious attention, particularly to safeguard our maritime security,” Anton said. “The drafting of an omnibus bill on maritime security has not been made public. [We are] waiting to see if it will address the most pressing problems Bakamla faces.”

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