President to sack officials responsible for Tanjung Priok delays

According to local media reports, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has threatened to dismiss officials, including cabinet ministers, if they fail to end the protracted cargo processing time at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port.

Widodo said that he was well aware of the legendary delays at Indonesia’s largest and busiest the port which handles two-thirds of Indonesia’s international trade, from his experience of running a furniture export business, and threatened to fire any officials responsible for the problems which cost the country Rp780 trillion (US$58billion).

“The process takes too long because the people handling it don’t want to move fast,” he told reporters. “Dwell time is an average of 5.5 days – the longest in Asia, while some items take up to a month to clear customs and excise.”