APEC and NAM: The two commitments that bind<\/p>\n
In the span of two years Indonesia has hosted two important
\ninternational meetings, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Asia
\nPacific Economic Cooperation forum. Political scientist Juwono
\nSudarsono puts the two events in global perspective and argues
\nthat the nation's real challenge is its exposure to international
\ncompetition.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The link between Asia Pacific Economic
\nCooperation (APEC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is more
\nprofound than is generally acknowledged. For Indonesia, APEC and
\nNAM are two facets of the same commitment: the strive towards
\nestablishing an equitable world order based on tenacity and
\nsustainable hard work.<\/p>\n
The 10th Non-Aligned Summit of September 1992 mandates in the
\nJakarta Message that the Movement's priority should be that of
\nbuilding partnership and cooperation with economically developed
\nnations. It also implicitly states that revival of North-South
\ndialog be based more on increased obligations of the South to
\novercome their own inefficiencies rather than depending on
\nperiodic assistance from the rich North. The message was terse
\nand clear: no more fault-finding, get real and get to work.<\/p>\n
As chair of NAM for the 1992-95 period, President Soeharto's
\nclear determination to convince NAM member-states that hard work,
\npatience and tenacity in bringing about internal economic
\ndevelopment are the avenues to break out of the vicious circle of
\nunderdevelopment, has been underscored by his focusing on four
\nfundamental development issues: food security, population
\ncontrol, debt management and sustainable development. No
\ndeveloping nation worth its name can legitimately claim to demand
\ninternational equity if its leaders cannot provide the basics at
\nhome. That is why as chair of NAM President Soeharto has
\nappointed a special executive assistant, seven senior economists
\nand four roving ambassadors to bring home the point about the
\nimportance of domestic economic performance.<\/p>\n
The link with APEC is in the urgency for a revived North-South
\ndialog, which has been on numerous international agendas since
\nthe United Nations Special Session on the New International
\nEconomic Order twenty years ago. Indonesia is well aware that in
\nthe iron law of international economics, the rich industrialized
\ncountries want to maintain their comparative advantages in trade,
\ninvestments, finance and services -- major issues at APEC
\nmeetings since November 1989. After all, in international
\ncompetition, the name of the game is holding on to what you have,
\nincreasing your earnings and preventing emerging competitors.<\/p>\n
Whether it is GATT\/WTO rules, international public and private
\nlaw, accords on production norms, intellectual property,
\nservices, market access, customs procedures -- at all levels,
\nevery country and every multinational cheats to the extent that
\nit strives to bend the interpretations of numerous legal codes to
\nits advantage. The more powerful they are economically, the more
\nstakes they have in defending norms and rules of procedure which
\ninvariably are depicted as \"international standards\", but which
\nin effect protect powerful domestic constituents.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia's eyes, APEC is an opportunity for a limited
\nNorth-South partnership and cooperation which is manageable and
\nmore importantly, which serves as a model for the much vaunted
\npartnership and cooperation. The most emphatic symbol of this
\ncommitment is in the appointments of Industry and Trade
\nCoordinating Minister Hartarto as chair and Foreign Minister Ali
\nAlatas as vice chair of the Indonesian delegation, whose combined
\nexperiences in economic policy making and diplomacy during the
\npost Cold War years provide them with the savvy to gauge the
\npulse of international economic and political issues relative to
\nIndonesia's interest.<\/p>\n
Despite the innumerable difficulties facing powerful economies
\nsuch as the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia,
\nIndonesia relishes the challenge of APEC. That is why Indonesia
\nhas surprised other APEC participants and outside observers by
\nits very willingness to press ahead with a continued APEC process
\nwithout the hesitation or caution shown by several other
\nparticipants. The surprise has been even more apparent within
\nIndonesia itself, where bureaucrats, entrenched businessmen with
\nspecial privileges and assorted rent-seekers in the trade,
\ninvestment and marketing sectors have come to realize that as the
\nAPEC process moves forward, a more competitive and professional
\nenvironment will have to be faced by all in the future.<\/p>\n
The APEC-NAM linkage is not a spurious attempt at foreign
\npolicy dramatics. It is inextricably linked to Indonesia's
\nattempt to hammer home at various regional and international
\ngatherings since the NAM summit in Jakarta two years ago: the
\nSouth cannot forever find external alibis for its own
\nshortcomings and demand interminable concessions from the North.
\nMore than 90 percent of a country's development task is its own
\nresponsibility, even if geo-political location, abundant natural
\nresources and market potential make it attractive for foreign
\neconomic interaction.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the APEC-NAM linkage goes to the heart of the
\nmatter: within Indonesia itself. The whole endeavor is expected
\nto spur cultural breakthroughs blending both economic vigor and
\npolitical commitment across Indonesian society and culture. It
\nwill transform difficulties into challenges, which in turn must
\nbe translated into opportunities. The APEC-NAM nexus require
\nadvanced skills in trade, investment, marketing, services and
\nfinance in the cities and industries of the more developed
\nwestern half of country. It will not be an easy and smooth
\nprocess. From time to time there will be setbacks and failures;
\nthere will even be bitterness and hard feelings.<\/p>\n
But even more bitter and hard would be not to have attempted
\nto succeed. The real challenge of the APEC-NAM process is in
\nbringing about a more robust and self-confident Indonesian
\neconomy and polity to international competition. Indonesia has
\nits own APEC-style problems of 'harmonization' between powerful
\nand less powerful economies. And certainly Indonesia has its
\nshare of NAM's North-South issues in the domestic context. But
\nthese are the very linkages that must be built patiently. These
\nare precisely the very commitments that must be sustained.<\/p>\n
Juwono Sudarsono is a professor of International Relations at
\nthe University of Indonesia.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/apec-and-nam-the-two-commitments-that-bind-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}