President Jokowi Must be Firm Against Foreign Intervention

Yogyakarta (Antara) - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo should maintain a firm stance against any form of foreign intervention in the management of the natural resources sector in Indonesia, noted an academician. "Despite being open to foreign investors, do not let them intervene in the management of natural resources. Their presence must remain strictly limited," Jawahir Thontowi, an international law lecturer at the Indonesian Islamic University (UII) stated in Yogyakarta on Tuesday. "Despite being open to foreign investors, lest the president lets them dare to intervene in the management of our natural resources. Their presence must remain strictly restricted," Thontowi reiterated here on Wednesday. In his speech during the APEC Summit's CEO Forum in Beijing, President Jokowi had emphasized on investment opportunities in Indonesia, he noted. Jawahir was of the viewpoint that the space offered to foreign investors should be limited. Jawahir stated that various working contracts for the management of natural resources by foreign investors in Indonesia have, so far, not yet yielded balanced profits. "In West Nusa Tenggara and Papua, for instance, abundant natural resources have been exploited by foreign investors, but only some benefits were enjoyed by the local communities," he pointed out.(*)