world.campusnesia.co.id - Singapore and Malaysia have strongly rejected the proposal by Indonesia's Minister of Finance, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, to impose taxes on vessels traversing the Strait of Malacca.
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan emphasized that the Strait of Malacca must remain free and open. He added that no single country should restrict navigation or impose new fees on ships utilizing the route. Similarly, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan asserted that any decision concerning the Strait of Malacca cannot be made unilaterally.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yvonne Mewengkang, assured that all government policies regarding the Strait of Malacca will align with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Previously, Purbaya identified the potential for implementing a tax on ships passing through the strait, citing the model used by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. "As per the President's direction, Indonesia is not a peripheral nation; we are situated in a strategic global trade and energy corridor," he stated during the PT SMI Symposium at the Ayana Hotel, Jakarta, on Wednesday (April 22).
Purbaya suggested that if a scheme similar to the Strait of Hormuz were applied to the Strait of Malacca, Indonesia could secure significant additional revenue. This income, he noted, could be shared among the three littoral states: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
