Govt support needed

Govt support needed

JAKARTA (JP): Indigenous entrepreneurs will hold a two-day
national workshop in Semarang, Central Java, this week at which,
they say, they will ask the government to support their efforts
to enlarge their role in Indonesia's economic development.

"Our role in the country's private sector businesses was
recorded at only 35 percent in 1991 and we want the government,
with its good will, to support our businesses so that we can
dominate private sector business activities by the year 2020,"
Sutarto, an executive of the Association of Indigenous Indonesian
Entrepreneurs, told reporters in Semarang on Saturday.

He was quoted by Antara as saying that by 2020, when Indonesia
is expected to have liberalized its economy, indigenous
entrepreneurs' role should be equal to that of other
entrepreneurs.

Sutarto said that the association will put such a proposal to
the government during the workshop, which begins today.

He said that indigenous entrepreneurs' failure to dominate
Indonesia's economy was the result of a lack of support from the
government and the banks.

Speakers at the workshop are expected to include State
Minister of National Development Planning/Chairman of the
National Development Planning Board Ginandjar Kartasasmita,
Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad, Minister of Defense and
Security Gen. Edi Sudradjat, and Commander of the Armed Forces
Gen. Feisal Tanjung. The workshop will be attended by 150
executives representing 19 provinces, Sutarto said. (31)