..Batam Indonesia semakin tidak menarik

pyropura · Post time 30-3-2016 11:58 AM

Edited by pyropura at 30-3-2016 12:02 PM

Batam could lose its luster

Protracted legal uncertainty caused by the dualism in administrative authority on Batam near Singapore could destroy the island’s economic luster, that has so far attracted thousands of foreign investors.

Batam’s ace cards, such as cheap land, cheap labor and infrastructure that is fairly better than that in the rest of the country, could be rendered meaningless when compared to the shining attractiveness of competitive special economic zones in Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.

A series of controversies initially hung over the status of Batam when the Soeharto government decided to develop the island, which was simply a fishing port in 1978, into an export-oriented industrial zone to take advantage of the spillover from Singapore’s economic development.

But a firm decision by the central government made it a free-trade zone with a single administrative authority in charge of public services, facilities and business licensing.

But when regional autonomy was introduced in 2001, the single authority called the Batam Development Authority was immediately challenged by the Batam regional (municipal) authority, causing uncertainty in business and investment licensing and spatial planning.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo should act quickly and firmly to remove the uncertainty as what has been encountered by the Batam Development Authority is hindering the development of the eight special economic zones (SEZs) designated in several provinces based on the 2009 SEZ Law. Such an imbroglio may also stand in the way of government plans to develop 10 major tourist destination areas, each as a single development authority.

We think the best solution to the dualism of authority in Batam is the establishment of a special economic zone covering Batam and the two nearby islands of Bintan and Karimun. - Source: The Jakarta Post editorial.

mepusembilan · Post time 30-3-2016 11:59 AM

sudah lah dengan sikap hasad dengki mu

lavabayu · Post time 30-3-2016 11:59 AM

betul la...thread indonesia menduani ni jugak tetap menarik....

http://mforum.cari.com.my/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=973362&highlight=mendunia

MissNigga · Post time 30-3-2016 11:59 AM

dah terlampau exposed sesangat ..... biler dah overly dibangunkan .. dah tak dok yang menarik...

p/s komen iols yang tak pernah pijak kaki kat batam

lavabayu · Post time 30-3-2016 12:02 PM

tak pernah pi sebab tarak zero fare air asia la tu....

dino · Post time 30-3-2016 12:07 PM

MissNigga replied at 30-3-2016 11:59 AM
dah terlampau exposed sesangat ..... biler dah overly dibangunkan .. dah tak dok yang menarik...

...

kesian spesis muka tak siap berangan p korea nak repair muka

sgbuloh · Post time 30-3-2016 12:08 PM

member aku suka pegi batam. cari bini muda.

kentel · Post time 30-3-2016 12:08 PM

MissNigga replied at 30-3-2016 11:59 AM
dah terlampau exposed sesangat ..... biler dah overly dibangunkan .. dah tak dok yang menarik...

...

let's pegi batam

pyropura · Post time 30-3-2016 12:13 PM

..orang Singaporn pun lebih tertarik ke Iskandar Msia...lagi lagi kalah ama Malingsia...

Indonesia’s Batam Losing Its Economic Luster

Anita Gabriel - Straits Times

It has long been seen as the bright new frontier for Singapore businesses desperate for space to expand but Batam’s economic promise seems to be fading, battered by forces from within and without.

Its ace cards — cheap land, cheap labor, proximity to home base — still resonate with Singapore firms although without the force of a few years ago.

The rise of other industrial enclaves, whether in Johor or China or fast-rising states like Vietnam, have dented Batam’s appeal but it is problems closer to home that worry businesses more.

“Indonesia ought to be its natural market but Batam is strictly an export zone and there’s a firewall between them. It’s a flawed protectionist strategy.”

A man known only as Mr Tan, a manager at a Singaporean-owned shipyard in Tanjung Uncang, on the western side of Indonesia’s Batam Island, shifts uncomfortably in his seat, smiling evasively, when the topic comes up.

No wonder, it is Batam’s most touchy subject — the perpetual demand of its raucous and spirited labor force for higher wages. When prodded, Tan, admits: “If there is no more wage advantage to stay here, investors may move out.”

Labor unrest could well become the island’s Achilles heel, notes Robert Broadfoot, managing director of Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy.

He notes that the regulatory environment is tilted in favour of labour, which encourages a confrontational situation between labour and management.

Strikes in Batam are becoming an annual affair. “Most of the time, the demands are reasonable and the strikes last a day,” says a manager at a firm in Batam.

But late last year, the protest involving thousands of workers from 200 firms turned ugly and lasted three days.

But the place — and the mission itself — needs a turbo-charged jolt.

That came in part two weeks ago when Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono renewed the pledge to drive growth in Batam, Bintan and Karimun, which make up one of two free trade zones in Indonesia.

Singapore’s role is crucial given its strategic position in the “growth triangle” between Malaysia’s thriving Johor region and the three Riau Islands.

For hundreds of thousands of Indonesians who have found jobs on Batam, the largest island in the Riau archipelago, Singapore has become a lifeline.

“Batam exists because of Singapore,” says a local, born in Jakarta and one of about 300,000 who came to the island for work.

In almost all of Batam’s development benchmarks, Singapore sits on the perch. It is the island’s largest investor, having contributed $933 million (S$1.2 billion) or 70 per cent of its foreign direct investment over the first half of last year. Half of Batam’s exports head to Singapore.

A woman known only as Ms Lo bought an oceanfront villa on a 328ha island between Singapore and Batam, which is the third favoured tourist spot in Indonesia, after Bali and Jakarta.

Malaysia has poured billions of ringgit into Iskandar Malaysia in south Johor since 2006, also to leverage its proximity to Singapore.

While Shenzhen is an export processing zone, a lot of its products are also sold in China.

But Batam, built on the concept of an export-oriented industrial area, is not meant to compete with other industrial areas in Indonesia, which market their products within the country.

“Indonesia ought to be its natural market but Batam is strictly an export zone and there’s a firewall between them. It’s a flawed protectionist strategy,” Broadfoot says.

Another weak link is connectivity.

“As close as Batam is to Singapore, it is still a ferry ride away. It’s easier for factories in Singapore to move to Johor,” says Broadfoot, referring to the two direct road links between Johor and Singapore.

“Batam will never be close to its potential till it makes these fundamental changes,” Broadfoot says.

fatehana · Post time 30-3-2016 12:16 PM

pernah pergi Batam ms kwn yg kijer Petronas kijer kat sana
yg buat meols tertarik adalah gadis2 genit yg berusia dlm 14 ke 15 tahun dijdkan helper
kot jd helper siang xper dan normal
ni jd helper mlm