N A M A R I N

            The Indonesian government recently launched an omnibus law bill, one objective of which is to create more job in the maritime sector. President Joko Widodo is expected to amend a bunch of sections in the existing Shipping Law No. 17/2008. Apparently, Indonesia was inspired by Philippines, the first country among the ASEAN countries to implement the revised codicils. However, many domestic maritime stakeholders consider that the changes will in fact be regressive for the sector rather than empowering it. They point to the Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) that was instituted during Jokowi’s first term in office, and proved to be quite detrimental. The GMF was hailed as a breakthrough nationally and globally, given that Indonesia is blessed with an abundant maritime domain. This should logically provide it a competitive advantage in maritime sectors like shipping and port business; it was thus accorded a high priority in government programs. Under the auspices of the G