Soeharto promises less state intervention<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto pledged yesterday to
\ngradually dismantle all remaining economic protection and reduce
\nas far as possible state intervention in the economy.<\/p>\n
\"In a free market world, nations must compete solely on the
\nbasis of the effectiveness and efficiency of their own economic
\nsystems,\" Soeharto said at the opening of a refresher course on
\nthe state ideology, Pancasila, for 97 top administrators of
\nstate-run universities.<\/p>\n
The statement comes less than two weeks before the leadership
\nmeeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in
\nOsaka, Japan, in which all 18 members, including Indonesia, are
\nexpected to provide details of their respective programs to
\nliberalize trade and investment.<\/p>\n
In their last meeting in Bogor, Indonesia, last year, the APEC
\nleaders agreed to move towards a free trade area for the region,
\nsetting a deadline of 2010 for the industrialized countries and
\n2020 for developing countries. APEC officials have been working
\nfor the past year to produce an \"Action Agenda\" for the
\nimplementation of the Bogor Declaration in time for the Osaka
\nsummit.<\/p>\n
Soeharto said yesterday that one of the biggest challenges
\nfacing Indonesia and other nations is opening up their economies
\nand liberalizing trade.<\/p>\n
\"The switch to openness and free trade requires thorough
\npreparations. If it's done suddenly, the new international
\neconomic order will become an arena of unequal competition
\nbetween the advanced industrial countries and the developing
\ncountries,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In such a scenario, the developing countries would be certain
\nto lose out in the competition, he added.<\/p>\n
The refresher course is being held at the Bogor Presidential
\nPalace, the venue at which the historic Bogor Declaration was
\nfirst read out to the world.<\/p>\n
The President said APEC's developing countries should be given
\nenough time to make the necessary preparations for the free trade
\nera. \"A quarter of a century isn't that long. That's why we have
\nto thoroughly grasp this development in order to prepare the
\nnecessary steps.\"<\/p>\n
Soeharto devoted the other half of his speech to Pancasila,
\nsaying that the ideology, together with the 1945 Constitution,
\nwas what had kept Indonesia united.<\/p>\n
He said there is a strong national consensus regarding the
\nimplementation of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
\"The spirit contained in both Pancasila and the 1945
\nConstitution is one of nationalism in a familial environment. In
\na nation that is so diverse, the spirit of nationalism is the one
\nbinding factors that must not be allowed to become loose.<\/p>\n
\"Experience has shown that without Pancasila and the 1945
\nConstitution there will be no unity and cohesion. Without unity
\nand cohesion there will never be a Unitary State of the Republic
\nof Indonesia,\" Soeharto said.<\/p>\n
The President said he was delighted to see that the majority
\nof the people in Indonesia have forged a common perception about
\nthe future of the nation and the direction of the country's
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
\"If there are still differences, they are not really over
\nissues of principle, but more over policies, strategy and
\nimplementation,\" he said, adding that these differences could be
\nsettled through deliberation. (emb)<\/p>",
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