Acceptance and sincerity

From Neraca

At the induction of PT Texmaco at Kiarapayung village, Karawang, West Java, on April 25, President Soeharto expressed his wish that there be no antagonism toward business tycoons. This is an interesting point to ponder.

Subsequent comments on the statement are also worth noting. One such comment came from a group of Indonesian young entrepreneurs who wanted intensification of partnerships between big and small businesses.

This implies that the partnership program is slow in getting underway. The Jimbaran group has only accomplished 40 percent of its program. Why is it so hard to carry out the noble program?

Actually the key to the problem is in the hands of the tycoons. The partnerships tend to be patron-client relationships. Current partnerships do not put small businessmen on a same level with their big counterparts. Small partners fear possible exploitation and condescension.

If big businessmen are willing to assist small counterparts, they should do so out of acceptance and sincerity, not as a charitable act. According to a group of young Indonesian entrepreneurs, a win-win principle should be applied.

There are, in fact, many methods to avoid a possible misunderstanding between groups of big and small businessmen. In the past, sugar mills and the GKBI (batik cooperatives) constructed public utilities and hired local inhabitants, both as employees and as subcontractors.

The granting of funds by PT Chandra Asri to small businessmen at Cilegon is also a good alternative. The pattern of partnerships in Aceh, in Ciapus (shoes) and in Japan (automotive and electronic components) can also be applied.

So, it is actually up to big businessmen, because they have the financial backing. Nothing seems to be based on acceptance and sincerity.

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