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