Hartarto asks OIC to focus on economic issues
JAKARTA (JP): The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) should now focus more on economic cooperation rather than political issues to promote the welfare of Islamic countries, a senior Indonesian minister said yesterday.
"Looking at current changes in our strategic environment, it is time for the OIC to put more emphasis on economic rather than political issues," Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto Sastrosoenarto told journalists after addressing an Islamic private sector meeting here.
He suggested that OIC member countries start discussing possibilities of providing each other with trade and investment facilitations and economic data interchange to enhance their economic cooperation.
"The next OIC ministerial meeting in Jakarta in early December should discuss all those issues," Hartarto said. "Usually, what appears on the surface is politics. But we have to manage it."
Secretary-General of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aqeel A. Al-Jassem supported Hartarto's suggestion, saying it would be included in the chamber's declaration, to be announced at the end of its meeting tomorrow.
"We have the same view, because our main target is to increase the flow of trade and investment among Islamic countries," Al- Jassem told journalists.
When opening the 14th conference of the Islamic Chamber in Bandung, West Java last week, Indonesia's President Soeharto stressed the need to enhance the development of OIC member states, most of which suffer from different forms of backwardness.
Soeharto said by focusing on economic development in each member country, the OIC would not only become a respected political force, but gradually turn into an organization of economic cooperation which could help Moslems prosper.
Speaking at yesterday's meeting, Hartarto noted that the volume of trade among OIC member countries is still very small. Indonesia, for instance, exported merely US$2.79 billion worth of goods to other OIC countries last year, or 6.1 percent of its total exports of $45.4 billion. Its imports from the other OIC countries stood at $2.6 billion, or 6.4 percent of its total imports of $40.6 billion last year.
Foundation
Hartarto said the Islamic faith actually provides the OIC member nations with a common heritage which, in turn, provides a foundation for building stronger economic relations.
"It would encourage economic liberalization with a view to creating a sound economic environment for integration and benefiting more fully from the globalization process," Hartarto said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aburizal Bakrie noted that businesses in most Islamic countries are not really aware of the potential of doing business with other Islamic countries.
Instead, Aburizal said, they are doing business with their partners in developed countries, which are notably not members of the OIC.
"Just look at the businesses in rich Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Brunei. They invest most of their money in developed countries," Aburizal said.
He welcomed Hartarto's suggestion on trade and investment facilitations among Islamic countries, saying that they could encourage Islamic traders or investors to do business with their counterparts in other Islamic countries.
If most Islamic businesses hear the calls, Aburizal said, trade among Islamic countries will double within five years. Indonesia's trade with Islamic countries could reach up to $10 billion per annum during that period.
"What we need to do now is push for a common understanding among Islamic businesspeople that there are opportunities to benefit from the growth of other OIC member countries," Aburizal said.
The OIC was established in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in May 1971 following a summit of Moslem heads of state and government in 1969 and a meeting of Moslem foreign ministers in 1970.
The conference aims at promoting Islamic solidarity by coordinating social, economic, scientific and cultural activities. Projects include the establishment of the International Islamic News Agency, the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Solidarity Fund and the World Center for Islamic Education. (rid)