I don't want anyone doing bribes anymore. Everything must be done openly, with transparency, and it should be (facilitating) the entrepreneurs
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has warned against graft and called for transparency between government officials and entrepreneurs in the process of obtaining business permits.

"I don't want to hear any difficulties faced by entrepreneurs. I don't want anyone doing bribes anymore. Everything must be done openly, with transparency, and it should be (facilitating) the entrepreneurs," the President stressed here on Monday.

He made the statement at the launch of the risk-based Online Single Submission (OSS) system for business licensing. He was accompanied by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia at the launch.

"If there's any government official who (uses unfair practices), who (indulges in graft), report it to me," Jokowi said.

The risk-based OSS system aims to make it easier to obtain permits for businesses, he explained.

"This is to make it easier for small, micro, medium enterprises (to get permits), push (the growth of) many more new entrepreneurs, accelerate the transformation of informal sectors to formal sectors, and the most important thing is that it will create many job opportunities," the President said.

The COVID-19 pandemic must not break the government's spirit and efforts to undertake structural reforms, he stressed.

"Many structural reformation agenda will be carried out still. Any regulations that obstruct those who wants to establish their businesses will be cut, (and) we will make the procedures to have businesses and investments easier," Jokowi assured.

He said he expected to build a more conducive business environment through these measures to allow SMEs to flourish.

"It is also to raise the trust of investors to make as many job opportunities as possible, so it can be a solution to unemployment issues caused by the pandemic," he added.

President Jokowi also ordered ministers and heads of institutions, governors, heads of districts, and mayors to remain disciplined in the supervision of the OSS system.

"I will check directly, I will directly supervise how the implementation in the field is like. Is the process getting easier? Are the permits getting less and less? Is the process getting more simple? Is the cost even more efficient? Are the standards the same all over Indonesia? Is the service faster? These, I will follow," he elaborated.

He said he believes that if all these requirements are met, investment in both micro, small, medium and large scale businesses would increase in Indonesia.

The Investment Ministry/Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) officially opened the OSS system on August 2, 2021.

The OSS is being implemented under Government Regulation (PP) Number 5 of 2021 regarding the Implementation of Risk-Based Business Licensing by the Investment Ministry, which is a derivative rule of Law 11/2020 on Job Creation.

According to Minister Lahadalia, the system was built in March 2021 by Indosat, in collaboration with the Investment Ministry. It summarizes 18 ministerial and institutional regulations, as well as 47 government regulations and presidential regulations as derivatives of the Job Creation Law.

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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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