Gov’t Supports Director General of Customs and Excise to Erradicate Illegal Imports

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung accompanied by Vice Minister of Finance Mardiasmo and Director General of Customs and Excise Heru Pambudi, at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, on Monday (12/10) afternoon

A limited meeting discussing illegal imports issue and directly led by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, at the Presidential Office, on Monday (12/10) reiterated President’s commitment to fight against illegal imports.

“The President previously affirmed that the Government gave its full support to the Finance Ministry Customs and Excise Director General to carry on law enforcement related to the illegal imports. However, the Director General is expected to develop good information technology (IT) system.

“Therefore, the IT system both from sender and receiver countries is expected to have a great and simple track record,” Pramono said.

Regarding to the intention, according to Pramono, Director General of Customs and Excise Heru Pambudi also delivered the needs to improve the monitoring around port area, particularly in East Sumatra Beach, and also to improve technology and human resources qualities in order to support a better IT system.

“Director General of Customs and Excise was given a mandate to carry on law enforcement seriously,” Heru Pambudi who also attended the press release said.

The law enforcement, the Director General of Customs and Excise said, is conducted particularly on the commodities that affect the manufacture industries, both textile and non-textile, in order to provide direct supports for them.

“As noticing trade that recently slows down, the role of custom and excise is to give direct support to the domestic industries by providing treatment to the importer in Indonesia,” Director General of Customs and Excise explained.

Previously, when delivering a remarks at the limited meeting, President Jokowi said that from numerous associations that he had received reports from, including the association of textile, the President  received complaints regarding import products that massively entered Indonesia.

“If this situation continues, it will put domestic producers at loss because their prices can not compete with illegal products,” President Jokowi said.

The President took the cases in clothes, cosmetics, electronics, bed sheets, food products, and rice as examples.

“We must pay attention to this issue,” the President firmly said.

“Firstly, those activities will ruin and weaken our industries. Secondly, if illegal imports are not immediately erradicated and eliminated, investors will not invest in Indonesia and it will jeopardize the market in the country, as well as weaken our competitiveness,” President Jokowi said.

Therefore, on that occasion, the President asked for concrete measures. Through this change, according to the President, it will improve trade balance once the change is well implemented. (EN/FID/AGG/ES) (RAS/EP/YM/Naster)