ASEAN govt asked to stay out of marts
ASEAN govt asked to stay out of marts
JAKARTA (JP): ASEAN governments should not interfere in
markets unless it improves the business climate in ASEAN
countries, said the chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry yesterday.
Aburizal Bakrie said it "would always be better" if the
governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
refrained from "managing development in detail".
"It would also be good if the governments refrained from
intervening in market mechanisms unless it was for market-
friendly steps," he said at the 27th congress of the
International Association of Financial Executives Institutes.
Aburizal said that in a world heading toward a liberalized
market economy, business organizations in ASEAN would remain
powerful.
He said ASEAN governments, which have played an important
economic role, would continue to be important in some areas.
"Neither the economy or the business sector can develop unless
their surroundings are socially and politically stable; and only
the governments hold constitutional rights to pursue such
stability," he said.
Aburizal suggested that ASEAN corporations look for synergy to
improve their combined performance through well-coordinated
strategies.
"Synergistic cooperation can be perceived as both a strategic
alliance and a competitive alliance," he said.
For this reason, he said, macroeconomic policies and
imperatives should be reviewed to become more adaptive and
supporting: "Thus, ASEAN governments and corporate leaders must
go hand-in-hand."
Aburizal said ASEAN corporate synergy should not be inward-
looking or protectionist, contending it would hamper global free
trade.
Few business and investment opportunities can be exploited by
ASEAN businesses alone. Therefore it is important to involve
international and global counterparts while ASEAN corporations
build up their ability to compete globally, Aburizal said.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (pwn)