RI can learn from other countries

RI can learn from other countries

Jakarta will soon host the two-day Asian-African Summit 2005,
with at least 56 heads of state expected to attend. The Jakarta
Post interviewed two residents to find out what they thought
about the event.

Maudy Lini, 42, is general secretary for the Indonesian
Businesswomen's Association. She lives in Cibubur, East Jakarta.

From a global perspective, the summit is a good idea because
it enables us to learn from more developed Asian countries such
as Singapore and Malaysia.

I hope our government can learn more about law enforcement and
other legislative measures, including intellectual property
rights.

I am disappointed because Malaysia patented our batik and the
government does little to help local products. It is also hard
for women to borrow money from a bank as people in our culture
tend to ask them where their husbands or fathers are. Meanwhile,
in countries such as Singapore, such things hardly ever happen.

The government can also learn from Singapore and Malaysia on
having one-stop shops for business procedures. So far, we need to
go through many doors and this hinders Indonesia's growth, which
is a shame as our country has huge potential, especially
regarding its natural resources.

Dian Ferdinan, 25, is a marketing executive for an IT and
Mobile Solution Company in Tomang, West Jakarta. He lives in
Cipinang, East Jakarta.

I believe that the summit will bring a better future to our
country. Overall, there have been significant changes in the
country's business prospects as the government starts to
recognize previously forgotten industries, such as the
entertainment industry.

Indonesia can learn a lot from the summit. However, changes
might not be felt instantly and we need to wait to see how things
unfold because changes are never easy.

I guess it is a good opportunity to show the world that we are
a country that is looking toward change.