5 Government’s Measures to Prevent Smuggling

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung delivers a press release at the Presidential Office after the Limited Meeting (16/3)

President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo hasstated that smuggling in Indonesian archipelago is a big problem. Therefore, in a limited meeting discussing the problem, the Government has agreed to prevent the practice of smugglings by improving cross-sectoral cooperation involving Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai), Indonesian National Police (Polri), Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), Maritime Security Board (Bakamla), National Intelligence Agency (BIN), and the Office of the Attorney General as well as carrying outregular operations to prevent it.

Cabinet Secretary (Seskab) Pramono Anung conveyed that in the limited meeting President had decided 5 important things related to smugglingprevention.

First, President instructed all related agencies, in particular Polri, Office of the Attorney General, and Director General of Customs and Excise to eliminate or reduce the regulations which are considered to hinder the law enforcement agencies from taking any action.

“Smuggling cases are always protected by prevailing regulations. They also operate mainly in particular seaports, called pelabuhan tikus (illegal seaports), and then distribute the goods anywhere,” said Cabinet Secretary after attending the Limited Meeting at the Presidential Office on Wednesday (16/3) afternoon.

Second, Seskab also mentioned that President ordered Customs and Excise as well asTax Office to interconnect with one another in order to reduce smuggling because by doing so, they can track the position of the goods and impose taxes on them.

“Indeed, further arrangements are necessary. The Coordinating Minister for the Economy is assigned to do this job, which is, to figure out a system that enable both Tax Offices and Customs and Excise to interconnect,” explainedSeskab.

The third was related to the in-out system of goods at both formal and informal seaports.

Seskab stated that now there are more than 1,200 informal seaports considered as the points prone to smugglings.

Seskab further explained that Customs and Excise could not enter informal or privately-owned seaports. Therefore, Seskab added, Minister of Transportation was asked to regulate the exclusive and private terminals.

Fourth, Seskab said the President had ordered Minister of Transportation to evaluate, reduce, and close down seaports that have exclusive terminal, particularly for private activities.

“Actually, it is mainly prone to drug smuggling. This is the most prone,” Seskabexplained.

The last, Seskab said that the President asked to take firm actions against smuggling. This could not be carried out by only one sector, but it should be carried out by the cooperation of cross-sectoral intitutions.

“One of them is the President’scommitment to the fight against narcotics. The commitmentencourages the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) to carry out their dutyvery well. Almost every day we see on media the news on BNN arresting suspects, solving cases, and so on. Therefore, in handling smugglings, we will do more or less the same actions,” concluded Seskab. (FID/UN/ES)(LW/YM/Naster).