Investment Inflows, Stalled Realization: Industrial Estates Push for Bureaucratic Reform
Baca dalam 60 detik
- Himpunan Kawasan Industri Indonesia menilai penyerapan modal asing terhambat oleh proses perizinan yang berlarut dan tumpang tindih antarinstansi.
- Investor menakar kepastian dan kecepatan eksekusi proyek, bukan sekadar insentif fiskal, sehingga reformasi birokrasi menjadi prasyarat daya saing.
- Usulan pembentukan tim percepatan investasi berwenang penuh menjadi ujian komitmen pemerintah menerjemahkan komitmen menjadi proyek fisik.
Industrial estate business players say the government has not been fully able to turn incoming investment commitments into actual projects. Chairman of the Indonesian Industrial Estates Association (HKI) Akhmad Ma'ruf Maulana said the main problem now is no longer attracting investors, but ensuring that committed capital is not held hostage by domestic administrative processes.
The statement comes amid a heavy flow of global capital seeking safe and efficient locations. According to Akhmad, the government's success in building investor trust must be matched by the readiness of all ministries, agencies, and regional governments to shepherd every project through to operation. "We must not let investment we have successfully attracted be held up by our own bureaucracy," he said in a written statement on Wednesday (16/9/26).
HKI highlighted three vulnerable points that often make investors hesitate: lengthy permitting processes, conflicting regulations, and coordination between the central and regional governments that is not yet solid. When all three pile up, projects that should start immediately instead face uncertainty. In the competition for global capital, speed of execution and certainty in resolving problems on the ground are decisive, no longer just the size of fiscal incentives.
Akhmad stressed that investor trust is not built only when investment offers are made, but also from their experience in realizing projects. "If permitting takes too long, regulations are uncertain, or cross-agency issues never get a decision, this will certainly affect investors' perception of Indonesia," he said.
HKI does not reject the government's evaluation stage for proposed KEK, PSN, or strategic projects. However, for projects that already have real investors, development readiness, and strong potential for job creation and multiplier effects, HKI urges a faster and more measurable resolution mechanism. "What makes investment most difficult is when the process drags on too long without certainty," he said.
"We need one team that truly has the authority to escort investment from the start until it is realized. Not just a coordination meeting, but a team that can step in when there is a bottleneck, bring the relevant agencies together, determine who must resolve it, and ensure there is a time target." — Akhmad Ma'ruf Maulana, Chairman of HKI
The proposal narrows down to the establishment of an Investment Acceleration and Escort Team. For HKI, the team cannot merely be a coordination forum; it must have a mandate to resolve cross-sector obstacles, set deadlines, coordinate ministries/agencies and regional governments, and push for decisions when an investment reaches a deadlock.
For readers in Indonesia, especially market players and professionals, this signal matters because investment realization has a direct impact on job creation, regional tax revenue, and demand in supporting sectors such as construction, logistics, and financial services. When projects are stalled, the multiplier effect spreads through the supply chain and reduces the appeal of industrial estates as a destination for manufacturing relocation from neighboring countries.
The question is, will the government change its approach from the ceremonial signing of commitments to daily technical escorting? Without a breakthrough at that point, the biggest risk is not losing investors who have already come in, but Indonesia's reputation as a slow and uncertain investment destination.
