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)