Local NGOs call for national policy on trade liberalization<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A local non-governmental organization, the World Trade
\nOrganization Watch called on the government to immediately design
\na well-developed national plan that would help local businesses
\nto be able to compete with foreign players when trade
\nliberalization under the World Trade Organization (WTO) scheme is
\nrealized.<\/p>\n
A member of the WTO Watch, Hira Jhamtani, said on Friday that
\nmeasures to strengthen small- and medium-sized enterprises were
\nparticularly needed to avoid them from being sidelined by foreign
\ncompetitors.<\/p>\n
\"It's not about us rejecting the whole (trade liberalization
\ndeal) but about how we could schedule the liberalization (to
\nbenefit us) and to prepare the businesspeople. This has been
\nneglected by the government so far,\" she asserted.<\/p>\n
The WTO Watch is a coalition of non-governmental organizations
\n(NGOs) concerned about the impact of the WTO's trade
\nliberalization on Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Among the members of the coalition are the International NGO
\nForum on Indonesian Development (INFID), the Institute for Global
\nJustice, Jaringan Kearifan Tradisional Indonesia (Indonesian net
\nfor traditional philosophy), Bina Desa (village development), and
\nPesticide Action Network.<\/p>\n
Hira, who is also a board member with the Institute for Global
\nJustice, said that the government has been especially negligent
\nin preparing farmers, especially rice farmers, for the global
\ntrade.<\/p>\n
\"The effect (of impending global trade) can already be felt on
\nrice imports as it has made the price of rice fall,\" she said,
\nexplaining that once the trade liberalization doors are open
\nIndonesia will be inundated with cheaper farm goods that will
\nprobably put domestic producers out of business.<\/p>\n
She said that the government should especially push for a
\nlevel playing field for farmers, because although developed
\ncountries are calling for free trade, their governments are
\ngiving subsidies so that farmers can afford to sell cheaply.<\/p>\n
\"For city people like us, it may be a good thing because we
\nget cheaper food, but for our farmers it will be a disaster,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Minister of Industry and Trade Rini Soewandi said
\nthat Indonesia had always been concerned about creating a level
\nplaying field for all countries in embracing free trade.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia has always stressed capacity-building. WTO is, in
\ngeneral, a good thing but it will only be fair if (all countries)
\nhave the same tools, otherwise we are sure to lose (against
\ndeveloped countries),\" she explained.<\/p>\n
Rini said that in the WTO ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar
\nearly last month, the government succeeded in pushing for a
\nconsideration, with regard to food security, rural development
\nand poverty, to be included in issues about agriculture.<\/p>\n
\"In general we can say that the Doha meeting has resulted in a
\nrather balanced agenda,\" she said.<\/p>\n
A WTO ministerial meeting in Seattle in early December 1999
\nended in failure as member countries, especially between
\ndeveloped and developing countries, failed to agree on issues
\nlinked towards a three-year round of trade liberalization
\nnegotiations.<\/p>\n
The Doha meeting agreed to put off the negotiations until the
\nnext meeting, scheduled for 2003, and until an explicit consensus
\nis reached between all parties on issues such as investment,
\ncompetition, environment, governmental procurement and trade
\nfacilitation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/local-ngos-call-for-national-policy-on-trade-liberalization-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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