Luhut’s reason for bringing in Chinese foreign workers is because the population in the project location for education is low

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – In front of hundreds of economists who attended virtually, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan explained the reasons for using foreign workers (TKA) from China in national strategic projects (PSN).

He argued that local labor in the project area was still low-educated, so that foreign workers from China were needed.

“We see that there are many areas (producing sources) of our minerals, education is not good,” he said at the Virtual 100 Economist Workshop, Tuesday (9/15/2020).

Also read: Enter Again, Now 450 Chinese Foreign Workers Work in Bintan Kepri

“So if there are many who shout that they don’t use our (labor), the local residents have no good education. For example, low mathematics,” he continued.

Luhut ensured that when foreign investment entered Indonesia and wanted to manage natural resources, it had to follow several rules. First, environmentally friendly by using sophisticated technology.

Second, the transfer of knowledge in the field of technology (knowledge transfer). “Transfer of technology, that’s my dream. We must always talk to outsiders there must be a transfer of technology. No, he can just take it,” he said.

Finally, said Luhut, cooperation agreements with foreign countries must apply business to business (B2B) and avoid government to government (G2G) to reduce the ratio of debt to gross domestic product (GDP).

Also read: The Minister of Manpower Will Not Avoid Additional Chinese Foreign Workers to Indonesia

“So we don’t look for shortcomings. I’m certainly not perfect, here and there are lacking. But what I do in my opinion is that with the help of young people in my office we do really very good calculations,” he said.

He also explained that the smelter project which is currently in Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi has shown economic development and employment.

“If you ask like in Konawe, the regent told me the economic growth is 9.2 percent now. All the jobs in our area (Konawe) are all work now,”

In addition, continued Luhut, a Polytechnic Campus was also built in Konawe. It is hoped that the Polytechnic Campus will improve the quality of education for residents there.

“We are also building a Polytechnic there now, where there was no Polytechnic in the past. Now we are improving the junior and senior high school education so that they can enter the Polytechnic. I am once again happy that you all want to look at the field, see for yourself what is happening there,” he said. .

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