"Now we are accelerating the development of infrastructures."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said that the government had continued to reduce various barriers that created high economic costs.
He said here on Thursday that the government had consistently taken steps on reducing high economic costs such as in the construction of infrastructures like toll roads, expansion of seaports and building dry ports.
"We acknowledged that we have been absent in constructing infrastructures. Now we are accelerating the development of infrastructures," the chief economic minister said.
The government also continued to reduce bureaucratic constraints, regulations that discouraged investment and fighting against illegal levies.
Earlier, a number of businessmen complained of high economic costs, particularly production costs. They considered that there were still a lot of home works the government had to accomplish.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had previously stressed the importance of reducing high cost of economy. Besides developing infrastructures, various regulations that were seen to be hampering investment were also reviewed.
In his address on August 16, the president said that the central government had evaluated 13,520 bylaws considered to be barriers and 824 had been cancelled.
On infrastructure, the government has allocated Rp193.8 trillion in its draft state budget of 2013, in addition to Rp24 trillion from the balance of the budget surplus, for infrastructure development, an increase from the Rp168.7 trillion assigned for this purpose in the amended state budget of 2012.
According to the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), good infrastructure development would help boost quality and evenly-distributed economic growth.
"Good infrastructure will reduce obstacles in businesses and improve the public life," Peter F Gontha,the deputy chairman of Kadin`s investment and transportation division, said recently.
The infrastructure development will step up connectivity for better Indonesia`s economic activities.
The government has prepared the infrastructure development strategies through the Master Plan of Indonesian Economic Development Acceleration and Expansion (MP3EI), according to him.
Every party realized that efficiency is the the foundation for the success in developing infrastructure projects, he stated.
The questions are whether the funding and investors are ready for the implementation of the infrastructure development, he added.
Investment is crucial for creation of jobs, he noted.
Kadin Chairman Suryo Bambang Sulisto in his address said among problems hampering investment in Indonesia concerned among other things land acquisition, infrastructure and manpower.
He hoped the meeting would produce applicable recommendations to solve those problems.
(Uu.A014/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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