ASEAN forms task force to drive forward IT industry

ASEAN forms task force to drive forward IT industry

MANILA (Dow Jones): Aiming to boost its information technology
sector, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said Sunday it
had set up a task force to come up with a comprehensive plan to
develop the industry.

The announcement followed a meeting between members of the
private sector and ASEAN leaders at their summit Sunday.

"Technological convergence will not be as effective unless
political leadership generates the right regulations and
policies," said Roberto Romulo, member of an IT private sector
grouped tasked with coming up with proposals to ASEAN.

He said the e-ASEAN task force would make proposals to heads
of state and government that could ultimately lead to an
Information Technology Agreement in ASEAN covering goods,
services and IT professionals.

ASEAN foreign and economic ministers agreed to allocate
US$100,000 to the task force, which will include public and
private sector officials.

"We have to make sure that we are not at the wrong side of the
digital divide," Romulo said.

Developing information technology emerged as a central focus
of ASEAN meetings in Manila over the past week. ASEAN ministers
argued the issue was particularly urgent given China's likely
entry into the World Trade Organization, which is expected to
spur Chinese electronics exports to the rest of Asia.

Private technology companies briefed ASEAN leaders on the
benefits of developing links in the IT field among ASEAN
countries, Romulo said.

Among e-ASEAN's long-term aims are developing information
infrastructure, providing IT access even to marginal sectors of
society, increasing computer literacy and reducing operating
costs.

The task force said it recognized that such a plan is a
"multi-year effort" and will require investment from member
countries and from the private sector.

Industry executives said the onus was on ASEAN governments to
knock down any barriers to trade and investment in the sector, or
other obstacles to developing information technology.

"Laws and regulations are lagging behind technological
change," said Manuel Pangilinan, president of Philippine Long
Distance Telephone Co.

The task force said a survey showed ASEAN countries varied
greatly in regulations and taxation covering information and
digital technology issues. It noted that only three ASEAN
countries "promote tax neutrality between on- and off-line
transactions", and that only four of six ASEAN countries surveyed
had taxation policies consistent with internationally accepted
principles.

The group suggested ASEAN members individually come up with
customized and "comprehensive" strategies before they can be
merged into a regional framework.

The private sector group that reported to ASEAN leaders
comprised Pangilinan and Romulo along with Antonio Romero,
president for ASEAN and South Asia of IBM Corp., Abas Sheikh
Mohamad, chief executive for Brunei's Syabas Technologies, Dinesh
Senan, chief executive for Singapore Connect Pte., and Maris
Samaram, head of Arthur Andersen Thailand.

ASEAN comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.