A law against monopolies

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