U.S. businesses bide time on Indonesia<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Investors remain wary of making a commitment in
\nIndonesia amid widespread pockets of unrest, the chairman of the
\nU.S.-Indonesia Business Council said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Speaking after meeting with President Abdurrahman Wahid on
\nTuesday together with 30 U.S. other businesspeople, Michael
\nGadbaw said one of the reasons he assembled a business mission to
\nthe country was to break the ice on the issue of foreign
\ninvestment.<\/p>\n
\"One of the reasons we are here now is because we, the
\ninternational business community, has for quite some time been
\nwaiting to see how the political situation evolves,\" Gadbaw said.<\/p>\n
\"The waiting period is not over yet.\"<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he was optimistic the government of President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid would be able to tackle the mounting problems
\nbecause \"we feel the government enjoys broad support\" from the
\npeople.<\/p>\n
\"Even though the challenges are very great, yet the Indonesian
\ngovernment is bringing a great deal of expertise and a great deal
\nof skills in joining together the consensus that it needs to
\naddress the challenges.\"<\/p>\n
The delegation of 60 businesspeople started its official
\nthree-day visit on Tuesday. The businesspeople represent 30 U.S.
\ncorporations, most of which have a presence in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
After meeting the President, the U.S.-Indonesia Business
\nCommittee and its Indonesian counterpart, the Indonesian Chamber
\nof Commerce and Industry's U.S. Committee, held a roundtable on
\nbusiness partnerships.<\/p>\n
Sofyan Wanandi of the Gemala Group, who accompanied the
\nAmerican businesspeople in their meeting with the President, said
\nmembers of the delegation would continue to invest in Indonesia
\nbecause they were already familiar with its business environment.<\/p>\n
\"Because most of the 30 companies already have operations in
\nIndonesia, I think they would express their commitment again to
\nincrease their investment in Indonesia,\" Sofyan said.<\/p>\n
Gadbaw, who is also vice president of General Electric,
\nexpressed both his and his fellow U.S. colleagues' commitment to
\ninvesting in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We are here because we want to be part of Indonesia's growth
\nand economic development,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Gadbaw said the U.S. businesspeople were interested in knowing
\nmore about four issues, involving the financial system, corporate
\ndebt, transparency and government policies.<\/p>\n
\"Our reaction is a very positive one. The Indonesian
\ngovernment understands very well what our concerns are, and it is
\nin the process of finding an answer, a formula that works for
\nIndonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Among the companies represented in the mission are Enron Asia
\nPacific, Amoseas Indonesia Inc., Mobil Oil, Exxon, ABB Alstom
\nPower, Bell Atlantic International Wireless, DaimlerChrysler,
\nEdison Mission Energy, BankBoston, Cigna International, Cargill,
\nFord Motor Company, Oracle Corporation, United Technologies
\nCorp., Black & Veatch Corp., Parsons Asia Pacific and UPLIFT
\nInternational. (prb\/rid)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-businesses-bide-time-on-indonesia-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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