Try denounces use of ethnic divisions
Try denounces use of ethnic divisions
JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno has called on people
to stop raising the Chinese-versus-indigenous Indonesian issue as
it could weaken the country's economic strength in the world
market.
Speaking at a meeting with executives of the Association of
the Indonesian Economists (ISEI) Wednesday, Try said that
challenges currently facing Indonesia were not the differences
between Chinese, Javanese, or other ethnic groups, but involved
Indonesia in competition with foreign countries.
He said that making an issue of ethnic differences would only
weaken the Indonesian economy and cause unnecessary suffering.
"We need a strong partnership, and not divisions, to compete
with other countries," the Vice President was quoted by ISEI
chairman Marzuki Usman as saying after the meeting.
Indonesia is committed to regional free trade under the ASEAN
Free Trade Area in 2003 and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
in 2020.
Marzuki quoted Try as saying the indigenous Indonesians should
not feel the most privileged people in the country. A strong
partnership with and understanding of other ethnic groups was the
most important thing, he said.
"So, the question now is how to Indonesianize the Chinese
businessmen," he said.
A 1995 report by the Indonesian Business Data Center revealed
that 204 of the 300 largest conglomerates in Indonesia are owned
and controlled by nonindigenous people.
They controlled combined turnovers of Rp 91.27 trillion
(US$11.4 billion) and combined assets of Rp 212.83 trillion in
1994.
Many indigenous entrepreneurs charge Chinese businesspeople
are less nationalistic than they should be.
The chairman of the Association of Indigenous Entrepreneurs'
Supervisory Board, Probosutedjo, has said that bosses of foreign
origin had no interest in supporting the business activities of
indigenous people, unlike in Malaysia.
He said the businesspeople of Chinese origin were trusted by
the government and were given the greatest slice of the economic
pie.
"However, despite the privileges, they still tend to upset the
government with their unrealistic demands," he said, adding that
when those businesspeople faced a problem, they often asked the
government to deregulate the system.
On the other hand, he said, indigenous businesspeople, due to
the small size of their business activities, were often ignored.
But economist Christianto Wibisono, the data center director,
underlined the important role Chinese businesspeople played in
national economic development.
He said that overseas Chinese were becoming the backbone of
economic growth in East and Southeast Asia.
Sharing the views of leading global trend analysts, he said
that in the 21st century the economic locomotive of countries in
the region would not be the Japanese but overseas Chinese.
He said the combined foreign exchange reserves of the overseas
Chinese -- notably those from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore --
currently stood at US$237 billion.
"Why don't we try to attract the overseas Chinese and match
them with indigenous entrepreneurs so that indigenous people will
not be left further behind by local Chinese businesses," he said
recently.
Marzuki, who was accompanied by other ISEI executives --
including secretary general Noor Fuad, Sri Mulyani Indrawati,
Farid Harianto and Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, respectively as
chairman also reported the results of the 13th ISEI congress in
Medan last November to the Vice President. (bnt)