REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUPANG -- Macro economist from the University of Kristen Artha Wacana Kupang Dr James Adam said there had been no progress made in the implementation of the sea toll program a year after it was launched by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).
"I even see it a total failure, whereas it is a priority program of Jokowi during his presidential election campaign," Dr James said here on Tuesday.
He described the program as a "very good" concept to recover Indonesia's position as a maritime country.
"Unfortunately, implementation is not up to expectation. Certainly it is not in implementation as it would need the participation of the private sector," he said.
The program will include modernization and expansion of existing seaports and construction of new ones and procurement of more ships.
Sea toll is expected to reduce gap in public welfare between the country's more developed western and backward eastern regions, and improve connectivity in the world largest archipelago.
Sea toll is also part of Jokowi's vision of making the country a world axis.
"The country could not rely only on the state shipping company PT PELNI. The government needs to ask for support from the private sector," Dr James said.
He said the failure in the implementation after a year of Jokowi's presidency was ego centrism that many government agency could not yet cope with.
He said almost all government agencies are interrelated in carrying out the program of sea toll.
"I think Mr Jokowi has to seriously address the problem of ego centrism among his ministries. That mentality could be drag on the implementation of the program," he said.
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