The gateway to the ASEAN
Economic Community (AEC) cooperation 2015 will soon be opened. This is the
first mileston of an open competition among all ASEAN member countries in the
economic sector covering freer flow of goods, services, investment, skilled
labor and capital, and such provisions have been made and agreed in the
blueprint at the 19th ASEAN Summit in Bali in 2011.
However, business operators considered that Indonesia is
not ready to face the ASEAN free market competition in 2015. Chairman of the
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia), Suryo Bambang
Sulisto, in Jakarta (Monday, September 16), doubted the readiness of Indonesia
in facing AEC 2015. Because until now, the government and the businesses have
not sought to integrate program for the preparation toward AEC 2015. To face
AEC 2015, Kadin Indonesia hopes that there is an integrative involvement in
Indonesia government policy-making such as has been done in other ASEAN
countries, among others, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
However, Suryo said, if AEC is applied at the end of
2015, ASEAN will be open to free flow of goods, free flow of services, free
flow of investment, free flow of capital, and free flow of skilled labor. This,
he said, is up to each country to obtain the benefits of freedom. However, the
government is supposed to support the businesses. To that end, the government
should eliminate all obstacles so that businesses can improve competitiveness.
He explained that Indonesia should realize its advantages
and disadvantages, such as comparative advantages associated with level of
efficiency in producing goods. Therefore, the integration of the industrial
base in important because the country that has a high comparative advantage for
a particular product will become the basis of the industry of the particular
product.
Suryo said that many considered that Indonesia was not
ready to face the AEC 2015. Because the competitiveness of both the products
and the human resources is still unable to compete with other imported
products. It is feared that the implementation of AEC will kill Indonesian
products. According to Suryo, ASEAN economic integration will create a market
that covers an area of 4.47 million square km with a potential of approximately
601 million people. Therefore, it requires the seriousness and readiness of
Indonesia to face the AEC 2015. “Readiness is necessary so that Indonesia will
become a major player, not just a participant in the AEC”, said Suryo.
It is also expresses by Sofjan Wanandi, General Chairman
of Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo). He said that Indonesia should be
prepared for 2015. Sofjan sees that so far the preparation of the Indonesian
government and the businesses is not evident. According to him, the AEC must be
faced by the government and employers, as well as the public. He said that many
laws have been made, but they are overlapping and counterproductive.
It
is said that the implementation of AEC will definitely have an impact on the
economies of the countries in the ASEAN region. The opening of economic
accesses will bring up increasing competition in the business sector. Not only
competing in the country, Indonesian entrepreneurs will be dealing with
entrepreneurs at the regional level.
Business News - September 20, 2013
1 comment:
I couldn't agree more Sir! However, I am certain that in 2015, Indonesia will be ready
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