Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani said the government and the National Police should be wary of strengthening the increasing volume of cross-border trade.
She said that with the increasingly abundant supply of goods from abroad, the potential for illegal goods to enter Indonesia also increased.
“This will also cause spillovers in the form of illegal activities,” said Mulyani.
She assessed that potential leaks needed to be handled comprehensively and in an organised manner because Indonesia has a very large territory and many ports.
“We need to use and organise the resources better so that the impact can be better as well,” she said.
Apart from that, Mulyani reminded of the need to organise and look at the export-import regulations currently in force. She said that if regulations were a source of corruption, the relevant ministries and institutions needed to discuss it together.
“If regulations are a trigger for corruption then we need to discuss other issues with other ministries.”
“Because usually, tariffs such as import taxes for export and import duties have a purpose in protecting domestic industry or encouraging certain economic activities such as (industrial) downstream,” said Mulyani.
She believes that regulations could be an entry point for criminal acts of corruption. “Well, this side can then lead to law enforcement being implemented,” she added.