RI needs good governance to cope with globalization

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia needs good governance and effective bureaucracy to survive the globalization era which demands compliance with international rules of the game, says former cabinet minister Frans Seda.

Speaking in a panel discussion on globalization and nationalism here yesterday, Seda said Indonesia could otherwise face major obstacles such as widespread collusion.

Without good bureaucracy, for instance, Indonesia could be kicked out of the game, Seda told an audience of about 60 people at the gathering held by the Atma Jaya Catholic University's Law School.

Seda is an economist and in his long career he has held diverse posts including minister of agriculture, finance, and also minister of post and telecommunications. The other speakers yesterday were economist Djisman Simanjuntak, legal expert Ko Swan Sik and columnist Mohamad Sobary.

Seda said the globalization rush was "aggressive" and would sweep across all nations regardless of whether they were willing or not to take part.

"We must adapt with globalization's rules of the game, otherwise we'll be left behind... become a mere object of globalization," he said.

"The country must empower itself from within by increasing efficiency and competitiveness in order to survive."

Contrary to what some people believe, globalization will not create a "borderless world" because individual nation-states will still be able to retain sovereignty and determine the course of its development.

"Globalization will not mean a dissolution of states," he said.

He cited four phenomenons of globalization that have been increasingly affecting all layers of society and a wide range of sectors from the economy to politics to security. They include interaction, interconnection, integration and rapid progress in the technology of information.

The current Southeast Asian monetary crisis was proof of the intensifying "interconnection" between economics and politics.

The crisis in Indonesia showed that an outside market force was at work to correct the country's policies, he said.

Seda reiterated the need for Indonesia to become a subject, rather than an object, of globalization. Indonesia will be able to achieve this by strengthening national resilience, reducing the social gap and establishing political stability which should in turn create national stability.

In addition, Indonesia needs to accelerate regional development and synergize all of the existing human resources for the endeavor, Seda said. (aan/swe)