Kadin deeply involved in policy making

One "civil society" organization that does not appear to have a problem in participating in the policy-making process is the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) with the presence of several businessmen in the Susilo Cabinet.

Sofjan Wanandi, a chief Kadin advisor, said during the UNSFIR conference on Wednesday that Kadin had helped prepare the economic policies of the present government, noting that "80 percent of Kadin's Roadmap had been adopted by the government."

The Kadin Roadmap, detailing ways to reinvigorate the economy, was the result of studies jointly conducted by Kadin and representatives of foreign chambers of commerce in Indonesia. Kadin has also been involved in the drafting of several bills, including the latest on tax reform currently being debated in the House.

Sofjan defended the active participation of the group saying that the objective was to help the government restore business confidence and thus bring back investors to Indonesia.

Recognizing the concerns of possible conflicts of interest of the businessmen in the Cabinet, Sofjan said the rules today are much clearer and more transparent than during the Soeharto years, and that the media would be quick to bring attention to unsavory practices.

Criticisms of possible conflicts of interest have been leveled against Vice President Jusuf Kalla, a businessman-cum-politician of the dominant Golkar party, chief economics minister Aburizal Bakrie, formerly of the Bakrie Group, and Sugiharto, the state minister for state enterprises. With President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono considering some personnel changes within his Cabinet, critics have been saying he should get rid of the businessmen.

Sofjan asserted that the businessmen in the Cabinet should be given more than a year to prove themselves, saying that it would be unfair to judge them solely after one year in office.

The past year, he said, had been a time for the ministers to adjust to the reality of government bureaucracy, so that if they had not performed up to expectations, it was understandable.

"But there will be no more excuses in 2006. If they don't perform, they'd better step down," he said. -- Endy M. Bayuni