Uncertainty over coast guard formation

There is still uncertainty over the establishment of an independent coast guard in Indonesia, which should have been established by 2011 according to shipping law.

Uncertainty still clouds formation of coast guard

Uncertainty is still hanging over the establishment of an independent coast guard, as the issuance of the regulation that would be used as its legal basis may be further delayed.

According to Law No. 17/2008 on shipping, Indonesia should have had an independent sea and coast guard by 2011. But, due to the slow process in drafting the regulation and its final approval, the body was not established according to schedule, according to the Transportation Ministry, which is tasked with overseeing the drafting of the regulation.

The ministry’s director general for sea transportation, Leon Muhammad said in Jakarta last week the drafting of the regulation had been slow as several sections of the regulation had to be changed due to resistance from a number of institutions involved in maintaining maritime safety and security.

Leon said that his ministry had finally completed the drafting of the law after working on it for more than two years, and had submitted the draft regulation to the state secretary in mid-2012 to receive final approval from the President.

Leon added, however, that the draft was still pending presidential approval because the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister could not agree on certain points in the draft regulation.

“We should have already formed the coast guard in 2011, but there are other institutions from whom we need to gain approval. It is taking quite a time to convince some of them that the establishment of the body will not diminish their authority,” Leon told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

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Source: The Jakarta Post.

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