The end of monopolies?<\/p>\n
Even as the rupiah was enduring relentless pressure, the
\nsurprise statement reached us about government plans to remove
\nmonopolies. The statement, made by the Coordinating Minister of
\nEconomic Affairs and Finance\/Development Supervisor, Saleh Afiff,
\nimmediately sparked comment and won the strong support of people,
\nsome of whom even wanted to see the plan realized.<\/p>\n
This spontaneous reaction can be attributed to at least three
\nfacts. First, monopolist practices have existed for too long in
\nour national economy. They are as old as the present New Order,
\nwhich means they have had 30 years to take root in our society.<\/p>\n
Second, monopolies are unsound because they hurt the people.
\nThe practice allows consumer prices to soar, while huge profits
\nare reaped by monopoly holders. Third, monopolies cause
\ndistortions that in the long run can damage the national economy.
\nMonopolistic practices also eliminate any transparent and
\nefficient market mechanisms, which leads to an imbalance in the
\ndistribution of assets.<\/p>\n
Public support (for the plan) is essential so the national
\neconomy can operate according to the workings of the market
\nmechanism and achieve a balance between producer and consumer
\ninterests. This ensures that the goal of establishing an affluent
\nand prosperous society can be achieved.<\/p>\n
Any attempts to eliminate monopolistic practices, however, are
\nclosely linked to efforts to achieve economic democracy. Without
\neconomic democracy, it will be impossible to eliminate
\nmonopolistic practices. This is one grave challenge that we have
\nto face before we can enter the free trade era, which will be
\ncharacterized by intense competition between countries. The
\npolitical will of the government is therefore needed, especially
\nto enforce all existing regulations with strong sanctions.<\/p>\n
-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-end-of-monopolies-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }