Competitive business

I am an Australian Moslem working in a private sector enterprise in Indonesia. I subscribe to The Jakarta Post and try to keep myself informed of current events in the business sector. There are many articles quoting the government stressing the need to increase exports. I was amused to read recently that high wages were making us uncompetitive on the open market, and countries such as Vietnam are supplying products to Australia because of this factor.

I believe it is the levies and charges placed upon manufacturers by governing bodies that make us uncompetitive. Australia tries very hard to promote and assist these export manufacturers, with programs such as their private sector linkages, Aus-Trade and other subsidizing schemes. Indonesian manufactures receive no assistance, added to this is the abundance of charges both official and unofficial.

How can you look a lowering wages when the majority of Indonesians now live below the poverty line? The fact that wages are not enough is one major reason for corruption. If the government really wants Indonesian manufactures to become competitive on the world market, it should consider the following steps:

1. They must stop trying to fill their coppers with manufacturers money.

2. Have an all-out drive to stem the flow of unofficial charges in all sectors.

3. Set up a body of people to investigate the reported cases of corruption.

The public must stop accepting corruption as a fact of life, and start saying no to back door payments.

NEIL MANSYUR DOMAILLE

Ujungpandang

South Sulawesi