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By @ayijufridar

PROBLEMS of investment in Aceh , Indonesia, is like a rose; Its beauty and fragrance are tempting to pick, but without care it will pierce the hand with thorns. Aceh's various advantages in mining and agriculture have become a "curse" if they are not good at managing them.

In recent years, the issue of investment in Aceh has returned to the public spotlight. Many moments and visits of ministers and even the president to Aceh are always associated with investment. In general, Aceh also has serious problems with a climate that is not getting better. Even in the past, the Chairman of the IMT-GT, Dato' Faudzi Naim Haji Noh (at that time), even assessed that Aceh's investment promotion was still tacky and observers considered the situation to be like that.

Investment inefficiency

If we look more closely, the problem of investment in Aceh is not just a matter of lowly promotion. There are still many investment obstacles that have not been resolved, whether they are part of a national problem or are unique to Aceh. The problems of central regulation, licensing, interest rates, exchange rates, and taxation are indeed beyond Aceh's authority. However, the Aceh government can set the sail so that the central variable can improve the winds of investment in Indonesia, including Aceh.

This ideal role is still an investment utopia in the midst of sad conditions in Aceh, which instead invites investors, on the contrary, “expels” investors. The problem of stealth taxes that are too high are among those that are typical of Aceh and become a condition that causes investment inefficiency. Various promotions carried out by the Aceh Government will be meaningless if the cost of stealth is not reduced and then eliminated.

Stealth taxes also exist in other areas. The difference is, outside Aceh the numbers are more controlled and they do not bear the psychological burden of being a former area of ​​armed conflict. Investors must have estimated the total costs they incur in detail, including thugs tax.

The practice in Aceh was made more difficult because after “smoothing out” one group, another group took part in extorting it. Several years ago, a survey team from a multinational company was asked for a smartphone by a certain group in the interior of North Aceh with threats of kidnapping if not fulfilled.

Finally, the survey was canceled and plans to build a crude palm oil (CPO) processing plant were canceled. There have been several kidnappings of workers in Aceh, including foreign workers in the oil and gas sector in East Aceh who added to the Negative Investment List (DNI) in Aceh. DNI is an important variable that is considered by investors.

Infrastructure and superstructure

The location of Aceh at the western end of the Indonesian territory is often called strategic because it is directly adjacent to a number of Asean countries. However, this condition is also often viewed as the other way around because of the increasing distribution costs and limited access. Worse yet, the condition of transportation to and from Aceh is not as smooth as other areas, especially Medan.

The strengthening of the plans of a number of district governments to open access to air transportation should be supported. It's just that the intensity needs to be increased with the volume of passengers that continues to increase so as not to harm airlines. Transportation that shortens distance and time becomes everything for investors to facilitate the entry and exit of goods, services, and people.

Licensing bureaucratic problems and the availability of sufficient information are also variables that the Aceh Government must fix. The availability of skilled manpower, raw materials, and other resources emphasizes that improving the investment climate is not only a question of infrastructure, but also of superstructure. There are many aspects outside of investment that need attention because they are directly or indirectly related to the investment climate. The government cannot possibly be able to fix it without the support of the business world and the community.

No matter how good the Aceh Government's efforts in improving the investment climate – without the support of an adequate supply of electricity – it will not have much effect. The electricity deficit is an obstacle to high-cost investment in various regions, not only in Aceh. However, the Aceh Government can continue to improve electricity constraints by optimizing existing power plants.

Aceh can actually enjoy the positive trend of increasing investment in Indonesia. The release of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) shows that in the first quarter (January – March) 2022, the highest foreign capital entered Central Sulawesi at 1,319 million USD. Meanwhile, to Aceh it was only USD 49.9 million and that was to extract existing natural resources such as oil and gas, not product diversification.

The Aceh Government's welcoming attitude towards investors, on the other hand, should not forget the interests of the community in terms of culture and nature conservation. Several investment permits in the mining and forestry sectors should not harm Aceh in the long term. Investments must provide the maximum benefit to society and nature, not short-term benefits for the authorities or even become a disaster.[]

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Investasi di sektor perkebunan masih menarik di Aceh.

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Dilema Investasi dan Daftar Negatif Investasi

Oleh @ayijufridar

MASALAH investasi di Aceh seperti kuntum mawar; keindahan dan keharumannya menggoda untuk memetik, tetapi tanpa kehati-hatian akan membuat tangan tertusuk duri. Berbagai keunggulan Aceh di bidang pertambangan dan pertanian, justru menjadi “kutukan” bila tidak pandai mengelolanya.

Dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, masalah investasi di Aceh kembali menjadi sorotan publik. Banyak momen dan kunjungan menteri bahkan presiden ke Aceh, selalu dikaitkan dengan investasi. Secara umum pun Aceh punya masalah serius dengan iklim yang tak kunjung membaik. Bahkan dulu, Ketua IMT-GT, Dato’ Faudzi Naim Haji Noh (masa itu), bahkan pernah menilai promosi investasi Aceh masih kampungan dan para pengamat menilai keadaannya memang demikian.

Inefisiensi investasi

Kalau ditilik lebih dalam, masalah investasi di Aceh bukan hanya soal promosi yang kampungan. Masih banyak kendala investasi belum diselesaikan baik yang menjadi bagian dari persoalan nasional atau yang khas Aceh. Masalah regulasi dari pusat, perizinan, suku bunga, nilai tukar, dan perpajakan memang di luar kewenangan Aceh. Namun, Pemerintah Aceh bisa mengatur layar agar variabel pusat bisa memperbaiki angin investasi di Indonesia, termasuk Aceh.

Peran ideal itu masih menjadi utopia investasi di tengah kondisi menyedihkan di Aceh yang justru bukannya mengundang investor, sebaliknya malah “mengusir” investor. Masalah pajak siluman yang terlalu tinggi termasuk di antaranya yang khas Aceh dan menjadi kondisi yang menyebabkan inefisiensi investasi. Berbagai promosi yang dilakukan Pemerintah Aceh menjadi tidak berarti jika biaya siluman tidak dikurangi untuk kemudian dihilangkan.

Pajak siluman juga terdapat di daerah lain. Bedanya, di luar Aceh jumlahnya lebih terkendali dan mereka tidak menanggung beban psikologis sebagai bekas daerah konflik bersenjata. Investor pasti sudah memperkirakan total biaya yang mereka keluarkan dengan detail, termasuk pajak preman.

Praktik di Aceh menjadi lebih sulit karena setelah “melicinkan” satu kelompok, ada kelompok lain yang ikut memeras. Beberapa tahun lalu, tim survei dari sebuah perusahaan multinasional dimintai smartphone oleh kelompok tertentu di pedalaman Aceh Utara dengan ancaman penculikan kalau tak dipenuhi.

Akhirnya, survei dibatalkan dan rencana pembangunan pabrik pengolahan crude palm oil (CPO) batal dibangun. Penculikan terhadap pekerja pernah beberapa kali terjadi di Aceh, termasuk pekerja asing sektor migas di Aceh Timur yang menambah Daftar Negatif Investasi (DNI) di Aceh. DNI termasuk variabel penting yang menjadi pertimbangan investor.

Infra dan suprastruktur

Letak Aceh di ujung Barat wilayah Indonesia sering disebut strategis karena berbatasan langsung dengan sejumlah negara Asean. Namun, kondisi ini juga sering dipandang sebaliknya karena meningkatnya ongkos distribusi dan keterbatasan akses. Diperparah lagi dengan kondisi transportasi dari dan Aceh tidak selancar daerah lain, terutama Medan.

Pemantapan rencana sejumlah pemerintah kabupaten untuk membuka akses transportasi udara patut didukung. Hanya saja intensitasnya perlu ditingkatkan dengan volume penumpang yang terus meningkat agar tidak merugikan maskapai penerbangan. Transportasi yang mempersingkat jarak dan waktu menjadi segala-galanya bagi investor untuk mempermudah keluar masuknya barang, jasa, dan manusia.

Masalah birokrasi perizinan dan ketersediaan informasi yang cukup juga menjadi variabel yang harus diperbaiki Pemerintah Aceh. Ketersediaan tenaga kerja yang cakap, bahan baku, dan sumber daya lainnya kian menegaskan bahwa memperbaiki iklim investasi bukan semata persoalan infrastuktur, tetapi juga suprastruktur. Banyak aspek di luar investasi yang justru harus mendapat perhatian karena secara langsung atau tak langsung berhubungan dengan iklim investasi. Pemerintah tak mungkin mampu memperbaikinya tanpa dukungan dunia usaha dan masyarakat.

Sebaik apa pun upaya Pemerintah Aceh dalam memperbaiki iklim investasi – tanpa dukungan tersedianya pasokan listrik memadai – maka tidak banyak berpengaruh. Defisit tenaga listrik menjadi kendala investasi berbiaya tinggi di berbagai daerah, bukan hanya di Aceh. Namun, Pemerintah Aceh bisa terus memperbaiki kendala kelistrikan dengan mengoptimalkan pembangkit listrik yang ada.

Aceh sebenarnya bisa ikut menikmati tren positif dari peningkatan investasi di Indonesia yang meningkat. Rilis Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal (BKPM) menunjukkan pada triwulan pertama (Januari – Maret) 2022, modal asing tertinggi masuk ke Sulawesi Tengah sebanyak 1.319 juta USD. Sedangkan ke Aceh hanya 49,9 juta USD dan itu pun untuk mengeruk kekayaan alam yang ada seperti minyak dan gas, bukan diversifikasi produk.

Sikap welcome Pemerintah Aceh terhadap investor, di sisi lain jangan sampai melupakan kepentingan masyarakat secara budaya dan kelestarian alam. Beberapa izin investasi sektor pertambangan dan kehutanan, jangan sampai merugikan Aceh untuk jangka panjang. Investasi harus memberi manfaat sebesar-besarnya kepada masyarakat dan alam, bukan keuntungan jangka pendek bagi penguasa atau malah menjadi bencana.[]

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Investasi di sektor pariwisata di Sabang, sangat potensial.