A law against monopolies

Given the provisions contained in the State Policy Guidelines, President Soeharto's instruction to Minister of Justice Muladi to study the possibility of issuing a law against monopolies is understandable. According to Muladi, the President asked him to study the possible passage of a law against monopolies as well as a government decree on bankruptcies. The President also gave his support to the minister's efforts to eliminate "court mafias".

As the minister explained, the planned antimonopoly law would be no mere translation of similar laws that now exist in countries such as the United States. There is indeed no need for us to copy the existing American antimonopoly law. But, given the communal basis of our social philosophy, it would clearly run against our commonly accepted communal principles to allow either individuals or groups of individuals to monopolize resources in ways that could have damaging implications for the people.

For this reason President Soeharto's instruction to Muladi deserves not only our approval, it should have the support of all of us. It would be most helpful if the law -- whatever it may be named -- could be passed before we embark on the (free trade) era of AFTA and APEC. It would be quite proper for us to make the drafting of this law one of our priorities.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta