Investment Board Hopes To Develop Synergy With Ambassadors

Jakarta (Antara Bali)- Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Franky Sibarani has expressed hope to create a synergy with Indonesian envoys to lure foreign direct investments to Indonesia.

        Indonesian envoys overseas can disseminate information about the government's efforts to improve the country's investment climate, Sibarani said here Tuesday.

        He is optimistic that the country's foreign investment target for 2015 can be achieved if there is a synergy between his office and Indonesian ambassadors.

        "BKPM has set the target for attracting foreign investments worth Rp343.7 trillion, out of the total investment target of Rp519.5 trillion," he added.

         He expects the foreign investment funds to come from Singapore and other ASEAN member nations, China, South Korea, Japan, the United States, and European nations.

         "The government has adopted a new paradigm for investments by launching an Integrated One-Door Licensing System, which was officiated by President Jokowi recently," he remarked during a coordinating meeting of the foreign affairs ministry's leadership here Tuesday.

         BPKM has noted that foreign investors often complain about poor infrastructure, poor logistics, complicated licensing procedures, overlapping regulations, and poor industrial relations.

         So, the government has been addressing poor infrastructure and logistics problems by constructing sea tolls, railway network, and power plants.

         Earlier, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo urged Indonesian envoys to sharpen their instincts to identify the economic potential of their host countries.

         "As Jakarta's governor for two years, and now, the President for the last three months, I received several foreign ambassadors and nearly 90 percent of them spoke about economic issues," Jokowi remarked while opening the coordinating meeting of the foreign ministry's leadership Monday.

         Indonesian ambassadors must lay greater emphasis on economic diplomacy, he stated.

          The meeting that began on February 2, 2015, will conclude on February 5. Some 132 heads of Indonesian representations, ambassadors, consul generals, and charge d'affaires are attending the meeting. (WDY)