NGO puts forward criteria for Jokowi’s maritime affairs and fisheries minister

NGO puts forward criteria for Jokowi’s maritime affairs and fisheries minister

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National |

President-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo should appoint a maritime affairs and fisheries minister who can help him realize his vision of Indonesia becoming a global maritime center, an NGO has said.

The People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice Indonesia (KIARA) has put forward four criteria that Jokowi should pay close attention to in selecting a maritime affairs and fisheries minister.

“He or she must understand and be able to carry out mandates of the 1945 Constitution, along with the post’s main duties and functions. He or she must also have a good track record,” KIARA program coordinator Abdul Halim said in a release made available to The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He further said that candidates for the position must understand problems related to fishermen, female fishing communities and fish growers, and should have the ability to tackle problems through the formation of programs and budgetary allocations.

“Candidates should have never been involved in the formulation of national fisheries and maritime policies strongly indicated to have taken side with foreign interests,” said Halim.

KIARA said that during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 10-year tenure, Indonesia’s fisheries and maritime resource management policies had tended to take side with foreign interests, such as with regard to transshipment and export regulation.

Other unresolved problems centered on a lack of transportation facilities connecting people who live on islands, especially in eastern Indonesia, illegal fishing, the development of luxury residences on coastal areas, sea pollution as well as weak and uncoordinated monitoring of fisheries and maritime resources.

“These four main criteria must be fulfilled by president-elect Jokowi’s maritime affairs and fisheries minister in the 2014-2019 period,” said Halim. (ebf)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/10/19/ngo-puts-forward-criteria-jokowi-s-maritime-affairs-and-fisheries-minister.html