REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's Acting Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, plans to take along former ESDM minister Arcandra Tahar during his tour of Japan to discuss the Masela oil block business deal.

Arcandra, who was discharged as ESDM minister last August for having dual citizenship, attended a function held to commemorate the anniversary of the Energy and Mineral Day, at the ESDM office here on Tuesday.

Luhut stated that he will take along the former minister on his visit to Japan because Arcandra had played a role in the Masela Block project by ensuring efficient investment. He was involved in an open discussion with the investors. "Regarding the Masela Block, I will ask Arcandra to accompany me because he has sound knowledge and can explain the issue directly (to the Japan side)," Luhut stressed.

Luhut, also the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, said he will be visiting Japan following a request by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). In Japan, the minister will meet Japan?s prime minister and a number of ministers.

He assured that progress will be made on the request received from the Masela Block contractor, Inpex, for exploiting the oil and gas reserves in the area. "Everything is in progress as of now and negotiations were on," Luhut noted, but did not delve into details regarding the negotiations.

Luhut explained that during his visit to Japan, he will discuss investment opportunities available to the Japanese investors. He reiterated that following the success of the tax amnesty program, the funds that have been repatriated could be utilized to develop the infrastructure.

"The government does not want a situation in which only state companies (BUMN) take part in the infrastructure project. Instead, it also wants the private sector to participate. It is in this context that we will be providing certain opportunities to Japan," he elaborated.

One of the projects that the government agreed to offer to Japan concerns the development of the Patimban Port of Subang. This will support the efforts to make the Tanjung Priok Port an international seaport. "Last night, the president asked that Japan be given the opportunity to build the Jakarta-Surabaya high speed train, or other ports or electricity projects," he disclosed.

Luhut will also explore cooperation in the maritime sector. "We are considering Indonesia-Japan maritime cooperation which has a wide scope. After all, we have extraordinary maritime resources," he concluded.

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