Free trade to have serious impacts: Soerjadi
Free trade to have serious impacts: Soerjadi
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's commitment to free trade in the
Asia-Pacific region by 2020 came under harsh criticism yesterday
as Deputy House Speaker Soerjadi warned of its serious possible
consequences.
He said the free trade envisioned by the 18 leaders of the
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Bogor this
month runs afoul of the Constitution and the spirit of Pancasila,
the official state ideology.
"Trade liberalization leads to free fight liberalism in the
economy, which runs counter to Article 33 of the 1945
Constitution," he said when meeting with members of the Petisi 50
group, a group highly critical of the government.
Nine members of Petisi 50's working group, led by Lt. Gen.
(ret) Ali Sadikin, submitted a statement expressing their
concerns over the implications of the Bogor APEC declaration for
Indonesia.
The Bogor Declaration affirms that industrialized states will
implement free trade by 2010 and developing nations by 2020.
Soerjadi, who comes from the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI), said that liberal trade is "just the opposite" of the
economic system prescribed by the Indonesian Constitution.
Article 33 of the Constitution states that the economy is to
be organized as a common endeavor based upon a family-like system
in which care is taken for the benefit of all, and in which the
various branches of production which directly affect the lives of
the majority of the public must be controlled by the state.
Soerjadi said that he could not conceive of how Indonesia
expected to be able to liberalize its economy, while at the same
time strictly regulating its political system.
"For example, the PDI cannot even inaugurate the chief of the
party's East Java chapter because the government has yet to issue
the necessary permit," he said.
"Is it possible to have a liberal economic system and a
tightly regulated political system at the same time?" the deputy
House speaker in charge of economic affairs said.
Implementation
He added that to implement the Bogor Declaration, Indonesia
would have to find a middle way, through which it will have to
carry out aspects of free trade which are not in conflict with
national interests.
The working group of Petisi 50 said in their statement that
the implementation of the Bogor declaration would undermine
Indonesia's economic and political principles.
They demanded that the House ask the government to explain its
projection of Indonesia's economic outlooks for 2020 and to
clarify how the country will implement the Bogor declaration.
In an adjacent building, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono
told members of the House Commission II on domestic affairs that
the Nov. 15 APEC informal summit was a success for the host
country - Indonesia.
He said the government spent Rp 24.3 billion (US$11 million)
on the event.
"APEC serves as a model for open regional or global trade and
investment which will help boost the world's economy," he said.
(pan/imn)
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's commitment to free trade in the
Asia-Pacific region by 2020 came under harsh criticism yesterday
as Deputy House Speaker Soerjadi warned of its serious possible
consequences.
He said the free trade envisioned by the 18 leaders of the
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Bogor this
month runs afoul of the Constitution and the spirit of Pancasila,
the official state ideology.
"Trade liberalization leads to free fight liberalism in the
economy, which runs counter to Article 33 of the 1945
Constitution," he said when meeting with members of the Petisi 50
group, a group highly critical of the government.
Nine members of Petisi 50's working group, led by Lt. Gen.
(ret) Ali Sadikin, submitted a statement expressing their
concerns over the implications of the Bogor APEC declaration for
Indonesia.
The Bogor Declaration affirms that industrialized states will
implement free trade by 2010 and developing nations by 2020.
Soerjadi, who comes from the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI), said that liberal trade is "just the opposite" of the
economic system prescribed by the Indonesian Constitution.
Article 33 of the Constitution states that the economy is to
be organized as a common endeavor based upon a family-like system
in which care is taken for the benefit of all, and in which the
various branches of production which directly affect the lives of
the majority of the public must be controlled by the state.
Soerjadi said that he could not conceive of how Indonesia
expected to be able to liberalize its economy, while at the same
time strictly regulating its political system.
"For example, the PDI cannot even inaugurate the chief of the
party's East Java chapter because the government has yet to issue
the necessary permit," he said.
"Is it possible to have a liberal economic system and a
tightly regulated political system at the same time?" the deputy
House speaker in charge of economic affairs said.
Implementation
He added that to implement the Bogor Declaration, Indonesia
would have to find a middle way, through which it will have to
carry out aspects of free trade which are not in conflict with
national interests.
The working group of Petisi 50 said in their statement that
the implementation of the Bogor declaration would undermine
Indonesia's economic and political principles.
They demanded that the House ask the government to explain its
projection of Indonesia's economic outlooks for 2020 and to
clarify how the country will implement the Bogor declaration.
In an adjacent building, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono
told members of the House Commission II on domestic affairs that
the Nov. 15 APEC informal summit was a success for the host
country - Indonesia.
He said the government spent Rp 24.3 billion (US$11 million)
on the event.
"APEC serves as a model for open regional or global trade and
investment which will help boost the world's economy," he said.
(pan/imn)