India and RI to set up software ties

India and RI to set up software ties

JAKARTA (JP): India and Indonesia will cooperate in developing
and exporting computer software products, Secretary-General of
the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunication Jonathan L.
Parapak said yesterday.

PT Sisindosat, PT Pan System and PT Inti of Indonesia and
Infotech of India signed a memorandum of action to develop and
export computer software products during a three-day workshop on
information technology, which was closed here yesterday.

The workshop was organized by the ministry in cooperation with
the World Bank.

Parapak stressed the need to cooperate with India, which so
far has managed to export computer software to earn US$5 million
in revenues per year.

"If India can export such products, why can't we?" he
questioned.

He said the two sides have yet to discuss the details of
business cooperation.

However, he said the memorandum could result in the
establishment of a joint venture between companies of the two
countries.

In the near future, he noted, a team from Indonesia will visit
India to study the development of its software industry.

"After that, we'll design a proposal for development that will
be presented to the World Bank for financial assistance," he
said, adding that the memorandum of action is one of the 27 pilot
programs which resulted from the workshop.

The workshop was addressed by 19 speakers, mostly from foreign
countries. Among them were Michael Nelson from the United States,
Stephen Yeo from Singapore, Alan Wiliams from Canada and Ken
Richerson of IBM Asia Pacific.

The other pilot programs concern the development of
information technology in industries, trade, health, post
offices, tourism and energy, education and family planning as
well as the promotion of trade and exports through the use of
information technology, called Electronic Data Interchange.(13)