TEMPO.CO, Tangerang - Business owners in Banten Province urged the government to evaluate the free-visa policy. Businesses argued that the policy would cause an overflow of foreign workers in the region.
Based on data provided by the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), the direct investment trends in Banten are dominated by foreign investments rather than domestic investments. Banten's foreign investments had reached 60-70 percent of the total investment value in the last couple of years.
"[We] feared that the existence of foreign workers would significantly reduce the chances for domestic workers. There needs to be a clear regulation, local officials for example, must be aligned with local workers," according to Aan Nurhandiat, Chairman of the Banten Chamber of Commerce and Industry Permanent Committee on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.
Aan argued that the large number of foreign investors will also influence their preference in choosing workers according to their country of origins. Therefore, Aan urged local officials to conduct monitoring efforts in cooperation with the immigration office.
BISNIS.COM
