Yusril Optimistic Indonesia Will Join OECD Within Three Years

Jakarta (ANTARA) — Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra is optimistic that Indonesia can become a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) within the next two to three years.

“We continue to monitor progress and consult with them (the OECD), particularly on strengthening the anti-corruption system, transparent administration, fair and certain laws, and so on,” Yusril said at a national forum in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said the government was accelerating work to complete 80 areas of transformation that need to be addressed as part of Indonesia’s preparations for OECD membership. One area being improved is the integration of legal data, which is being developed by the Ministry of Law.

Yusril praised the ministry’s efforts to build the integrated data system, describing it as one of the government’s major tasks. He said data integration had been a government initiative since the 2000s, beginning with the introduction of e-government, and had continued to develop since then.

Yusril said OECD membership would place Indonesia among developed countries rather than developing nations.

“If Indonesia does indeed succeed in joining the OECD, it will be the third country in Asia, after Japan and South Korea, to be part of the group of developed countries in the world, no longer the group of developing countries,” he said.

The three priorities include regulating bribery of foreign officials, revising the Statistics Law and revising the Business Competition Law.

“These three matters were also discussed as priorities to be completed next year,” Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said in Jakarta on Monday (9 November).

Airlangga said rules on bribery of foreign officials were an important requirement in the OECD accession process. Indonesia still needs to strengthen its legal basis for regulating the practice.

He said the government was preparing the regulations, including the possibility of revising the Corruption Eradication Law.

The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) has proposed changes to the relevant regulations. Their discussion is also part of an initiative by the House of Representatives’ Commission VI.

Airlangga said Indonesia’s OECD accession process was proceeding in line with the government’s targets.

Indonesia has so far completed reviews in 20 of the 24 policy areas, with progress at around 80 per cent. Some areas, including health, still require further improvement.

Indonesia’s accession process is now at the technical review stage. The government is targeting full membership in 2028.