Media told not to disturb development

Media told not to disturb development

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday called on the media
not to hinder the development process but instead help prepare
the country for free trade in the Asia-Pacific region.

Soeharto warned that any "false reports" might make the people
restless. As a result, people would be unable to live up to their
full potential, and would be in doubt, thus making them unable to
concentrate on development.

"I ask journalists to reflect, to join in making national
development a success in the face of all challenges so that its
fruits can be enjoyed by our descendants in the year 2020,"
Soeharto told journalists aboard a Garuda Indonesia DC-10
aircraft bringing him home from the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) leadership meeting in Osaka, Japan.

Soeharto explained extensively the results of the Osaka
leaders meeting, which he said would implement what had been
agreed in their previous meeting in Bogor, Indonesia, last year.

In Bogor, APEC leaders agreed to liberalize trade and
investment in the region by 2010 among the developed member
countries and by 2020 among developing members.

On the flight, Soeharto was accompanied by First Lady Mrs.
Tien Soeharto, State Secretary Moerdiono, Coordinating Minister
for Industry and Trade Hartarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali
Alatas and economic adviser to the government Widjojo Nitisastro.

Soeharto said all Indonesians, both officials and economic
players, should try hard to help improve the country's
competitiveness so that it can reap the greatest possible
benefits from free trade in the Asia-Pacific region.

"We have to prepare ourselves so that we can benefit from the
open market among APEC members," Soeharto said.

He shared the opinion that the next century would be the
century of the Asia-Pacific countries. "That the 21st century is
the Pacific century has been proved by experts who have made
mathematical projections on the subject."

Last year, Soeharto said, the world's combined gross national
products reached US$27 trillion, of which 67 percent came from
developed countries like the United States, Japan and European
countries, 20 percent from Asia and the remainder from the rest
of the world.

By 2014, Asia will match the developed countries, Soeharto
said. The developed countries would hold $26.9 trillion and Asia
$26.2 trillion.

By 2020, he continued, Asia will then dominate the world's
combined gross national product, accounting for 51 percent of
world GDP, or $38.4 trillion. By that year, developed countries
will total $29.7 trillion and the rest of the world only $7.8
trillion.

"It all depends on us. If we cannot carry development through,
we will become its victim, a spectator, or merely an export
market." Soeharto said. (rid)

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