Buy local products: Soeharto
Buy local products: Soeharto
JAKARTA (JP): One way of safeguarding Indonesia from the
impacts of free trade is for its citizens to support its own
industry and buy locally made products.
In his end of the year speech broadcast nationwide on
Saturday, President Soeharto reiterated that Indonesia cannot but
join in the global trend towards free trade, whether it likes it
or not, or whether it is ready or not.
The country's industry must move to strengthen its
competitiveness so that it can compete against foreign suppliers
whether abroad or at home, he said.
"Therefore, let's all love domestic products," Soeharto
said. "This would provide tremendous support for the domestic
industry. It is the new spirits of catching up in progress, of
togetherness and of nationalism that we have to take with us upon
entering the new year."
Soeharto was widely accredited for pushing the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to agree on a 2020 deadline to
establish free trade in the region at the APEC leadership meeting
which he hosted in Bogor, West Java, in November.
There ins another reason why Soeharto moved to rekindle the
spirit of nationalism of the people of Indonesia in his speech on
Saturday -- 1995 marks Indonesia's 50th independence anniversary.
"We have strengthened the Unitary State of the Republic of
Indonesia, its unity and sovereignty ... If tomorrow morning we
begin to prepare for a series of activities to mark the half
century of this republic, that means that we are reinvigorating a
the spirit of our body as a nation."
Reviewing 1994, Soeharto said nature had not been kind to
Indonesia during the year. A series of natural disasters killed
many, wreaking untold destruction, as a severe, prolonged dry
season left many parts of the archipelago without water.
The nation managed to overcame these disasters to the best
of its capability. "Of course, there wasn't much that we could
have done to prevent or contain the dry season or the disasters.
They are part of nature," Soeharto said.
"There are always lessons to be learned from this
experience. We have become even more conscious that our life is
closely tied to nature."
He said the people and the government should jointly bear
the responsibility for protecting the environment and the
nation's precious natural resources.
In politics, Soeharto considered 1994 a year of
consolidation for many political and mass organizations in the
country. "We are concerned that if these consolidation efforts
are disrupted, this will affect the rate of national development.
Soeharto also said the Indonesian economy performed quite
well in 1994.
He said the economic growth rate exceeded the 6.2 percent
targeted for the year, and although inflation remained high, it
was kept below 10 percent.
The industrial sector showed a reasonable development but
agriculture slowed down because of the prolonged dry season.
Indonesia's non-oil exports, which fell in the beginning of the
year made impressive gains in the closing months. Imports rose
but this was largely prompted by the increase in investment
commitments by local and foreign companies. Indonesia's foreign
exchange reserves also increased to a level capable of financing
up to five months of imports.
The stock markets also showed encouraging development during
the year, reflecting both the confidence of investors and the
increasing efficiency of the bourses.
"Overall, I can say that the economic forces in our society
have continued to grow and are capable of tapping every
opportunity presented to them," Soeharto said. (emb)