No Foreign Contracts for Megastructures: VP
29 July 2015 16:32 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government would not use foreign contractors to work on the country’s infrastructure megaprojects in a bid to empower local engineers and contractors, the Vice President said on Wednesday, July 29, 2015.
According to Jusuf "JK" Kalla, local contractors, companies and industries have the capabilities to work on the projects. JK also said that domestic industries must be prioritized and involved in the projects.
“All countries have applied the regulation,” JK said at the National Development Planning Agency on Wednesday.
JK said that using foreign contractors for infrastructure development would undermine local contractors’ competitiveness. JK has instructed relevant ministries to prioritize local contractors in infrastructure project tenders.
JK explained that Indonesia has the Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) with thousands of experts in technology. However, JK admitted that the government had neglected the agency’s potential.
REZA ADITYA
