"The newly appointed transportation minister should pay attention to the sea transportation sector which has been neglected during the era of the previous minister," Sigit Soesiantomo of the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission V on transportation affairs said here on Monday.
He said that Law No. 17 / 2008 on shipping required the executives to provide political and financial support to the development of the national shipping industry.
The legislator said that the significant declining of Indonesia`s logistics performance index over the past three years was a result of the low services at ports.
He said that other factor was the small number of ship fleet because the government had not yet implemented Law No. 17 / 2008 which was basically an economic incentive for national shipping businesses.
Sigit also mentioned the often congestion problem at the ferry port of Merak which had impact on transportation policies in general.
He said that the traffic flow problem at Merak port could be reduced by applying a Short Sea Shipping (3S) system from Java to Sumatra through Tanjung Priok port, Teluk Bayur port and Belawan port.
The lawmaker said that Europe and the United States had applied the system to overcome the problem of its land transportation and it turned out to be able to increase the logistics index performance there.
"Therefore, Mr Mangindaan will be remembered as a success person to print a transportation history in golden ink if he successfully develops the 3S system in Indonesia during his leadership," he said.
In the recent cabinet shake-up, EE Mangindaan replaced Freddy Number as transportation minister.
(Uu.A014/O001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
