TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - UPN Veteran Jakarta’s economist and public policy specialist, Achmad Nur Hidayat, on Tuesday, argued against partnering with China again in the Jakarta - Surabaya high-speed railway project and implied that technologies and knowledge can be sourced from other countries that also have the same type of transportation.

His argument arose following the announcement by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, to collaborate with China to work on another high-speed train project.

"Countries that have high-speed trains are not only China. There’s South Korea, Japan, Germany, France, Italy," Achmad told Tempo, Tuesday, June 27.

These countries, according to Achmad, can be a more profitable comparison. Not only in financing and implementing projects, but in maintaining the sustainability of state finances.

The Narasi Institute CEO believes that by cooperating with China for the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, the Indonesian government is actually losing money. “Indonesia is trapped in the cooperation pattern with China, which may seem beneficial but is actually quite the opposite,” he explained.

Achmad mentioned the deadline of the current project that has been backtracked by multiple years, which he said caused the cost overrun amounting to an estimated US$1.2 billion. The lack of strength in facing negotiations with China was also mentioned.

Regarding the potential continued cooperation with China, he remains open to cooperation options with other countries. However, Luhut believes the cost of the high-speed train project will be cheaper if with China.

RIRI RAHAYU | RIANI SANUSI PUTRI

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