Luring investment<\/p>\n
Against a backdrop of the sagging of the rupiah against the
\nU.S. dollar and the dire need of quick recovery from a prolonged
\neconomic "impotence", the initiative to lure more foreign
\ninvestors as televised live by TVRI on the evening of May 23,
\n2000, deserves praise. The meeting was held at the Hilton
\nInternational Hotel and was attended mostly by ambassadors of
\nforeign missions in Jakarta. Also seen attending the function
\nwere foreign trade missions and chiefs of foreign companies, not
\nto mention journalists.<\/p>\n
Speakers on the Indonesian side included, surprisingly,
\nAttorney General Marzuki Darusman and chief of the National
\nPolice Let. Gen. Roesdihardjo. A chief representative of the
\nWorld Trade Center in Indonesia and some economists made
\nthemselves available to answer questions.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian side wanted to impress on the foreign parties
\nthat investment laws were as steadfast as ever, though admittedly
\nthere had been some violations. Also, that in spite of media
\nreports to the contrary, capital investment was safe in most
\nplaces, the exception being the disturbances in some outlying
\nareas. The presence of the attorney general and the police chief
\nwas obviously designed to make these assurances sound more
\ncredible.<\/p>\n
The fight against corruption, unfortunately, has hardly
\nproduced any tangible results, and along with collusion and
\nnepotism, the disease goes on unabated. However, although at a
\nslow pace, foreign investment has been coming in and is being
\nprocessed as usual.<\/p>\n
On such an occasion we might have expected to hear from
\neconomist Emil Salim or Sri Mulyani or a minister from the
\neconomic team to present their arguments on why it is profitable
\nto invest in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
If there are foreign ambassadors or foreign interests who
\nstill doubt the unlimited potential under the protection of the
\nlaw, the presence of the attorney general and the police chief
\nwould have surely allayed those fears. Though not visible on
\nscreen, I am sure there were also representatives of the Navy,
\nthe Army and the Air Force in civilian dress to attest to the
\nimproved security conditions. Whosoever has the guts to encourage
\nsmuggling, piracy or violations of the investment law know who
\nthey will face. My impression was, however, that the meeting was
\nmore polite and formal rather than enthusiastically held in the
\nwrong place and attended by the wrong people.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, endeavors like this to help boost the economic
\nrecovery will not be futile.<\/p>\n
GANDHI SUKARDI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/luring-investment-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }