President Jokowi Instructs Ministers to Increase Sea Toll Value for Regional Economy

President Jokowi discusses sea toll acceleration with his ministers during a limited meeting at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, Thursday (5/3).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo instructed his cabinet ministers to focus on increasing added value of sea toll program for regional economy.

“I noted that sea transportation only accounts for 0.3% of our overall GDP,” President Jokowi stated at a limited meeting on the Acceleration of Sea Toll Program at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, Thursday (5/3).

This figure, the President stated, is far lower than the contribution of air and land transportation. “The figure for land transportation in the GDP by September 2019 is 2.4%, it increased from  2.14% in 2014 to 2.47% in 2019,” the President explained.

Air transportation, the President added, contributed 1.6% to the GDP, a more rapid increase, from 1.03% in 2014 to 1.62% in 2019. Meanwhile, he said, the role of sea transportation has been very low, a decrease from 0.34% in 2014 to 0.32% in 2019.

The President ordered the ministers to review its causes. He expressed that sea toll should be connected to industrial estates and local economic centers.

“I also instructed regional governments, Regionally-Owned Enterprises to be involved in the development and utilization of the sea toll so there will be positive impacts on the local economy,” he concluded (MAY/EN)

Translated by: Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by: Mia M. Bonaedy