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Granting the Jakarta-Surabaya train project to China is dangerous
Indonesia should be very certain from the beginning of any business negotiations that we have mastered Chinese law and systems and we know how to communicate with the Chinese government when a violation of the law occurs.
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Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train arrives at Tegalluar station in Bandung, West Java, during a trial run on June 22. (Antara/Bagus Ahmad Rizaldi)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his top ministers have repeatedly said China will be given the contract to build the Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway, citing their satisfaction with its construction of the Jakarta-Bandung line, even though the latter project will be completed four years behind schedule and has seen costs skyrocket as a result of a poor feasibility study and messy contract formulation.
China will be Indonesia’s most important trading partner and investor for many years to come, and the two have enjoyed amicable relations despite a few incidents in the North Natuna Sea, which China has sought to claim as a traditional fishing ground.
But should Jokowi rush to realize the 800-kilometer high-speed railway through direct appointment before he leaves office in October of next year just for the sake of Indonesia-China bilateral relations and his ambition? It will be much more productive for him to focus on the construction of the new capital city, Nusantara. I am afraid the President is taking the railway project too personally, just to show that he is right and others are wrong.
Whoever succeeds Jokowi, I am pretty sure the new capital project will continue, although perhaps not as fast as Jokowi might expect. How about the Jakarta-Surabaya railway project? The new president will think twice.
If you ask laypeople about the new railway project, many oppose the direct appointment mechanism because they believe the outcome will be disastrous, as in the case of the Jakarta-Bandung railway.
As the old proverb goes, even a donkey won’t fall into the same hole twice. Smarting from the Jakarta-Bandung train project, the government should open international bidding for the Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway.
For such a strategic project, fairness and transparency matter. Even if China wins the tender, it will be fair for everyone.
