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Today's Headlines Investment Climate
The Indonesian government plans to allow an earlier submission of a request for the extension of mining concessions. Stakeholders say that this would considerably strengthen the investment climate in Indonesia's mining sector, specifically the coal mining industry, on the back of improved legal certainty.
Entering the second quarter of 2018 chief executive officers (CEOs) have become less optimistic about the Indonesian economy and politics. This should be no surprise considering there have emerged significant concerns about a looming global trade war (with the USA and China as main actors), while further monetary tightening in the USA has been putting pressure on the Indonesian rupiah.
The Indonesian government said it will take a number of steps to tackle several classic problems that obstruct investment realization in the country. Based on internal research, the government counted a total of 190 cases where investors' investment commitment failed to be realized between 2010 and 2017. This led to an estimated IDR 351.2 trillion (approx. USD $26.2 billion) in missed domestic direct investment and USD $54.6 billion in missed foreign direct investment.
The high gas price in Indonesia is unattractive and therefore discourages investment realization in Southeast Asia's largest economy, especially investment in the Chemical, Textile and Miscellaneous Industries (CTMI) segment. The main contributors to investment in this segment are the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) announced that total direct investment in Indonesia (foreign + domestic investment) reached IDR 176.6 trillion (approx. USD $13.2 billion using the IDR 13,400 per US dollar exchange rate as set in the revised 2017 state budget) in the third quarter of 2017, up 13.7 percent year-on-year (y/y) from the same quarter one year earlier.
Business and politics are highly related to each other and therefore it is worthwhile to take a look at chief executive officers' (CEOs) confidence in Indonesia's national politics as well as their expectations for Indonesia's future political conditions. Local media company Kontan recently issued its latest Kontan CEO Confidence Index (KCCI).
Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry will revise Energy Regulation No. 8/2017 on the gross split scheme. It was decided to revise this relatively new regulation after an evaluation was conducted that included input from oil and gas contractors. Deputy Energy Minister Arcandra Tahar announced the revision earlier this week.
During the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration (2004-2014) the Indonesian government presented public-private partnerships (PPPs) as solution to infrastructure development in Indonesia. However, there was limited enthusiasm as investors remained hesitant due to the nation's complex investment climate (including the difficult land acquisition process, regulatory uncertainty and doubts about the economic feasibility of certain projects).
Indonesia rose six positions in the 2017 edition of the IMD World Competitiveness ranking. In this edition Southeast Asia's largest economy was ranked 42nd. This is positive because it shows the government's reform agenda is having an impact by improving the investment and business climate. However, Indonesia remains ranked behind its regional peers the Philippines (41st), Thailand (27th), Malaysia (24th), and Singapore (3rd).
Hariyadi Sukamdani, Chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), said investors continue to complain about the difficulty of obtaining all necessary investment permits in the regions of Indonesia even though, generally, there has been an improvement in the degree of bureaucracy under the Joko Widodo administration.
Latest Columns Investment Climate
At the start of the New Year we are taking a look at renewable energy development in Indonesia, specifically the case of solar power. Solar power is energy from the Sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy, either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation. The electrical energy can be used to generate electricity, or, it can be stored in batteries or thermal storage.
Few should be unaware that the world (particularly Western powers) are pushing for renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. It is difficult to find a newspaper or TV station that does not report on this issue on a daily basis.
Just like essentially all other currencies around the globe, the Indonesian rupiah has been under pressure from tightening monetary policy in the United States (US). This has serious consequences for the energy market since Indonesia is a net oil importer.
Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) have existed for many decades around the world. By establishing a SWF – and inject capital into the SWF – governments can strengthen their national economies and generate wealth for future generations. In fact, a SWF is essentially a state-owned investment fund typically funded using excess capital.
At the start of February 2021, Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed Presidential Regulation No. 10 of 2021 on Investment Business Activities. This regulation forms a derivative regulation of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation (Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation), a landmark law that was passed by the House of Representatives (or DPR) on 5 October 2020.
As regards Indonesia’s investment and business environment, there were a couple of interesting developments in February 2021. These were developments that – in our opinion – help to strengthen the economy of Indonesia in a fundamental way, albeit it will take a few years (as well as the assistance of other reforms) to fully enjoy the fruits of this labor.
The past year has been hectic. The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived, a worldwide recession followed; US-China turmoil continued, while geopolitical and geo-economic tensions are rising across the world. And all these matters seem interrelated. So, how is Indonesia doing amid these developments? And, how do they exactly impact on Indonesia's economy and society? It is time to sit down with Indonesia Investments' Managing Director Richard van der Schaar to hear his thoughts on these matters.
Whenever Indonesia Investments discusses or illustrates the risks that are involved in Indonesia’s investment environment, we usually take the 2009 Mining Law as an example to illustrate the lack of legal certainty in Indonesia. Lack of legal certainty is one the key obstacles in Indonesia’s investment environment, and has therefore been undermining investment realization in Indonesia.
“Indonesia’s economic potential is unquestioned. The nation of 265 million people has all the ingredients to be a major global player. But converting the potential into business opportunities and success is not a straight path. The Indonesia Economic Forum is the perfect platform to build relationships, gain insights and recalibrate business strategies for building a successful enterprise.”
Discussing minimum wages is always a sensitive issue. Workers long for rapid growth of their monthly wages as many of them encounter difficulties in making ends meet in their daily lives. In fact, those whose salaries are close to the minimum wage tend to be near-poor and uneducated, particularly in developing nations such as Indonesia, and therefore both their present conditions and their future perspectives are far from bright.
