TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti on Sunday criticized the ministry she once successfully led in President Jokowi’s first presidential term.

Susi, who took her criticism to Twitter, said that the ministry’s new rules to be introduced lack any restrictions on fishing equipment and ship capacity operating in Indonesian waters.

“The maritime affairs and fisheries new rules annuls any restrictions for vessels weighing a maximum of 200 gross tons, cantrang (a type if Danish Seine net), purse seines pulled by two vessels, and so on,” said the former minister who is constantly keeping the government in check through Twitter.

According to her, the new rules may possibly allow foreign fishing vessels - which remain docked for the past 5 years - to operate again over Indonesian waters as the restrictions are legalized again and dominate local fishermen.

Susi Pudjiastuti also fears that this will see the domination of foreign vessels as the country experienced prior to November 2014. “This will cause the behemoth fishing ships docked in ports spread across Maluku, Bali, Papua, North Sulawesi, Jakarta, and other locations to be able to venture again,” Susi Pudiastuti tweeted on Sunday.

The Maritime and Fisheries Ministry plans to issue a revision on the permits for the use of and legalize eight fishing tools, which include the arguably problematic ‘cantrang’, large pelagic trawl, squid jigging, and many more major fishing industry equipments that would dominate local fishermen.

EKO WAHYUDI