TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The transportation ministry should stop dragging its feet and start revalidating its data of fishing vessels. The sea transport directorate-general's feigned oblivion only triggers suspicions that it may be protecting corrupt officials.

According to data from the maritime and fisheries ministry, there are at least 87,000 fishing boats falsifying their loading capacity. Meanwhile, the transport ministry claims that only 18,000 ships are found to be fraudulent.

It is high time the two ministries concerned sign the agreement they discussed last November. The agreement, which spells out revalidation procedures including the deadline, will give certainty for thousands of fishermen.

Documentation of fishing vessels has so far been in disorderly condition. Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti found ship measurements that did not correspond with actual sizes. At the time of registration, owners falsified vessels' tonnage as less than 30 gross tons so that they qualify to get the diesel solar subsidy authorized in Presidential Decree No. 91/ 2014.

Data falsification, suspected to be an inside job, has allegedly happened in several harbormasters' offices and port authorities under the jurisdiction of the transport ministry.

Because of the practice, the non-tax revenues (PNBP) from the fishery sector stagnant at around Rp150 billion in the last six years never reached the target, causing the state to lose significant revenues. Government Regulation No. 54/ 2002 states that vessels weighing more than 30 gross tons are required to deposit duties for their commercial ventures as well as on their earnings.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has found that the PNBP from the fishery sector accounted for only 0.3 percent of the sector's total value, prompting the anti-graft agency to push the ministries of transportation as well as maritime and fisheries to gather the corrected data of all fishing vessels. This data will also ensure the efficient and targeted distribution of 16 million kiloliters of subsidized diesel fuel, allocated in the 2016 state budget.

The transportation ministry should have realized that the data recompilation is part of the reform initiatives necessary for the fishery sector, one of President Joko Widodo's top priorities. Transparency in issuing fishing permits, establishing fishing zones and appropriate fishing equipment to be used is the key to boost the PNBP from the fishery sector.

Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan must meet his promise to carry out data reverification of all fishing vessels, a promise he made at the start of the year. But he must also take firm action against corrupt harbormasters. (*)