Tunky's mission at the WTO

Tunky's mission at the WTO

These are busy days for Minister of Industry and Trade Tunky
Ariwibowo. Besides leading the Indonesian delegation to the
ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) ministers' meeting, he
will use this opportunity in Singapore to overcome the deadlock
he met in his earlier negotiations with representatives of
parties opposing our national car policy.

In the view of those parties -- Japan, the United States and
the European Union -- Indonesia did not offer any new proposals
during those negotiations. As far as Tunky is concerned, the
talks, which he will hold in between the WTO sessions (Dec. 9 to
Dec. 13), could be his last effort toward convincing the parties
to withdraw their opposition (to the policy). Many observers are
pessimistic about the outcome, unless Indonesia is willing to
make compensations or be generous enough to modify its policy.

It seems that many issues will be discussed at the current WTO
meeting, including those of human rights, labor wages, government
purchases and investment. Indonesia has already voiced its
disagreement with the draft WTO declaration on the grounds that
those issues are not directly related to international trade.
Perhaps our objections are designed to keep open a loophole for
sticking to our national car policy, which could be regarded as a
part of our national investment policy.

Actually, we would have preferred that all those efforts which
the government is now making could have been spent in
strengthening our business sector's potentials. Our business
sector could do much to assist the government in international
lobbies. The effectiveness of our business sector in this respect
has already been proven. The question is whether the government
is willing to share this burden and this role.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta