RI vows better business climate
RI vows better business climate
Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono acknowledged on
Sunday his country needed to speed up reforms and insisted he was
committed to creating a better environment for business.
He told an ASEAN business forum here that Indonesia was still
in the process of recovering from its political and financial
crises and was moving along the path to democracy.
"I have to admit that we have to accelerate the process of
reforms into building good governance, be more efficient,
effective, tighter, accountable and of course clean," said the
president.
"We are working very hard to fight corruption. And of course
even though we are want to accelerate the process, I have to be
frank that the issues are large," he said.
Susilo, who took office in October 2004, has promised to root
out world-leading levels of bribery and kickbacks that have
poisoned the Indonesian economy in the eyes of many foreign
investors.
Watchdog Transparency International places Indonesia high on a
list of most-corrupt countries globally, and graft in the court
system is seen as a particular problem.
Susilo again pledged his commitment to change.
"It is my commitment to give you this viewpoint to seek a
better climate to accelerate the process of reform -- including
bureaucratic reforms, including having a healthier business
environment," he said.
The president said he had spearheaded several pro-business
initiatives, including meeting this year with over 30 top
Indonesian business leaders to hear their complaints.
Businesses will also have consultations every two months with
ministers to voice their opinions, he said.
Security concerns and bureaucracy have also slowed down much-
needed investment while critics have charged that the
government's economic policies lack cohesion and coordination.
Susilo earlier this month reshuffled his cabinet, assigning
two respected faces to his economic team.
At the same forum, Susilo also floated a vision for greater
energy cooperation among Southeast Asian countries and beyond,
saying the region needed to join forces to cope with spiraling
consumption.
Susilo said joint efforts could capitalize on the different
strengths of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
members, including major fossil fuel producers Indonesia,
Malaysia and Brunei.
Indonesia's plan realizes "that some of us are oil producing
countries and others have capital to be shared in building
refineries, in trading, in many things, including in developing
bio-energy," he said.
Susilo told the forum that as well as bilateral initiatives
within the region, Asia-Pacific nations could also consider
forging alliances with other regions like the Middle East.
"We are thinking of that kind of approach and direction," he
added.
The Indonesian leader warned that fuel consumption would
continue to spiral in the years to come, underlining the need for
greater regional cooperation.
"In my own view the consumption of oil will be increasing
dramatically in the decades to come in East Asia," he said.
"China and India, they will be the biggest consumers of oil."
In Indonesia, which produces, oil, gas and coal, "our domestic
consumption is also rising dramatically, in transportation and
industries also."
The issue of energy cooperation is looming on the agenda of
the ASEAN summit, which will be held here Monday and Tuesday.
Susilo said ASEAN had already agreed to work towards boosting
joint efforts over energy.
"We have agreed within ASEAN to have a more effective energy
cooperation," he said, citing ongoing plans to produce a
Southeast Asian electricity grid.