Indonesian products

Indonesian products

The people have the chance to view the long-forgotten Exhibition of Indonesian Products, which started on May 20 and will end on May 29 at the Jakarta Fairground. The exhibition, recently inaugurated by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, aims to encourage the people to patronize Indonesian products.

Meanwhile, Indonesia continues to pride itself as one of the countries on the frontline of trade liberalization, a position that has boomeranged.

Imported products come to the country in different ways -- legally, at dumped price. Indonesian consumers are obviously happy to have many choices at competitive prices. However, the country's producers are unhappy to see increasing threats to their markets.

Megawati's administration has begun to protect the domestic market in facing the flow of foreign goods amid fears that more enterprises might lay off their workers.

The key to winning the people's trust for certain goods and services thus lies in the producers' ability to give the people what they want.

Learn from Inul Daratista who has successfully 'beaten' Britney Spears, or from the TV series Si Doel, which has overtaken Sex and the City -- a very popular movie in the United States. Look at the success of the bottled tea, Sosro, which in no less popular than Coca Cola or at Wong Solo restaurant, which is no less aggressive than McDonald's. -- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta