"As it is a public need, I think it is an obligation for the government to implement it. I am sure that the next administration will be concerned about it," Sumadi stated in Jakarta on Thursday (Aug 1).
The minister made the remarks on the sidelines of a talk show themed "Opportunities and Challenges for Pelni: Answering Customer Needs and Desires in the Era of Social Media" on Thursday.
The minister believes that the sea toll program will not only run in the government of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) but will also continue in the next administration for the 2024-2029 period.
The minister also hopes that the implementation of the sea toll program can be further stepped up in the future due to the relatively high distance between ships, so the fleet of ships is expected to be increased.
"Because if we talk about sea tolls, the expectation is to increase (because) the distance between one ship and another is very high. Hence, it will not decrease but maybe increase. Thus, the hope is that it can increase the frequency," he noted.
Furthermore, the minister stated that currently, the sea toll has 39 routes. However, Sumadi did not furnish details on the distribution of the sea toll.
"If now, we have 39 routes (sea toll), with a lot of points, and it has increased from the beginning of (the term of) Mr. Jokowi, until now, the number of routes and the number of points has increased," Sumadi highlighted.
The minister also expressed hope that sea toll transportation would become more efficient, both in terms of logistics and people transportation, so that costs could be curtailed.
Sumadi said his side is striving to make sea toll transportation efficient, especially in terms of the monetary aspect.
"(Improving) the efficiency of the number of goods carried and the efficiency of other things, (thereby) making the delivery of goods and passengers better," Sumadi remarked.
He pointed out that the draft included the sea toll budget for 2025, though the nominal budget was not mentioned.
This included the investment value, as it is the domain of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and Commission VI of the House of Representatives (DPR).
"The investment will (come) from PMN later, for Pelni because this is a corporation domain of SOEs and Commission VI, so that is where the investment comes from," the minister stated.
Sumadi remarked that the Ministry of Transportation annually provides a pioneer subsidy of Rp4 trillion (around US$246 million), entirely for the eastern region of Indonesia.
"As much as 90 percent of the sea toll and pioneers are directed to eastern Indonesia, including Ambon," the minister stated. Related news: Pelni expected to be backbone of sea toll program: minister
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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