Reforms linked to war against terrorism<\/p>\n
Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Foreign investors are waiting for Indonesia to make
\nconsiderable progress on a range of reforms linked to the war
\nagainst terrorism, United States Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph
\nBoyce told a discussion on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Boyce said the country's reforms in regard to promoting law
\nand order, reforming the judiciary, implementing new anti-money
\nlaundering laws and passing counter-terrorism legislation have
\n\"quite frankly lagged\".<\/p>\n
In the discussion titled U.S. Perspectives on the War on
\nTerrorism, Boyce said that the link between reforms in these
\nareas and the fight against terrorism was the fact that the best
\nweapon against extremism were good jobs and an optimistic sense
\nabout the future. Creating good jobs, he said, required major
\ninvestments like building factories, infrastructure projects,
\nservice companies and investing in mines.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia should fundamentally improve the environment for
\ninvestment, both domestic and foreign. Indonesia's legal system,
\nhowever, is still ineffective and corrupt,\" Boyce criticized.<\/p>\n
He added that Indonesian companies could also easily
\nmanipulate courts to criminalize standard business disputes.<\/p>\n
\"In the past months, five American investors have been forced
\ninto court on charges that would never hold up in a U.S. court.
\nEach of these companies have shown a long-term commitment to
\nIndonesia, but still finds itself lost in a non-transparent legal
\nmaze,\" Boyce told audiences.<\/p>\n
The discussion, organized by the Financial Club Jakarta and
\nthe Indonesian Council on World Affairs, was attended by former
\ndefense minister Juwono Sudarsono, former foreign minister Ali
\nAlatas, foreign ambassadors, entrepreneurs, Indonesian scholars
\nand academics and representatives of international organizations.<\/p>\n
Boyce added that even as investors understood that the
\nIndonesian government officially had no direct control over the
\ncourts, they would need to see principled leadership on legal
\nreform from the highest levels of the Indonesian government.<\/p>\n
The ambassador said support from the U.S. and Indonesia's
\nother development partners would give Indonesia a chance to put
\ninto place the underlying laws and institutions to fight
\nterrorism more effectively.<\/p>\n
\"Potential investors will take note of improvements in
\nIndonesia's institutions and calculate that their investments
\nwill be safer as a result,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The U.S. has pledged assistance to Indonesia in the counter-
\nterrorism field, among others, by offering to help implement the
\nnewly passed anti-money laundering bill and establish the
\nFinancial Transaction Center to investigate suspicious financial
\ntransactions.<\/p>\n
When Boyce said that Indonesia should take a much stronger
\nstance against terrorism, scathing questions arose from the forum
\nin regard to Washington's extremely cautious behavior toward
\nIsrael in the Israel-Palestine conflict, a matter which has
\ncaused uproar among Muslim groups in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Ali Alatas told Boyce that apart from being indignant,
\nIndonesia was bewildered over the matter.<\/p>\n
\"What's the secret that such a small country as Israel... a
\ncountry that is so dependent on the U.S., remains in defiance of
\nthe almighty President of the United States and the almighty
\nUnited Nations Security Council, and still gets away with it (the
\nkillings)?\" Ali asked Boyce.<\/p>\n
Boyce did not answer this question directly, but explained
\nlater that there was an ongoing crisis in the U.S.-Israel
\nrelationship, which was still playing itself out.<\/p>\n
\"It's a real challenge for the U.S. today as the lone
\nremaining superpower. You are constantly called upon to either
\ndefend yourself against not doing enough because of your
\nresponsibility and role, or to defend yourself against the charge
\nthat you are doing too much, too fast, intervening,\" Boyce said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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