GOVT TO ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN FACE OF AEC

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 7 (Antara) - As it enters the first year of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Indonesia is changing its development strategy in order to speedily build an economic foundation amidst competition in the Southeast Asian regional single market.          Beginning this year, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has ordered ministries and state institutions to start state budget-funded projects at the beginning of the year.          Besides moving forward with development projects, the government will also urge businesses to map out their own strength and the strengths of competitor countries to enable them to adopt accurate strategies and increase their competitive edge.          Crucial to this problem is the quality of the country's human resources and that the younger generation must be prepared.          The ability to compete in the single market where ASEAN members are no longer confined to borders in term of the flow of goods, services and workers will be supported with qualified human resources, technology and a strong economic foundation.

INDONESIA MAXIMALLY PREPARED TO FACE AEC

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 25 (Antara) - Indonesia and other ASEAN member countries have made maximal preparations to enter the common free trade era, when the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will begin on December 31, 2015.          Although many still cast doubts, Indonesia, on its part, says it is now ready to face the AEC as it has completed 94.1 percent of the preparations.          "I think 94 percent is the maximal preparations we have made," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.          Therefore, Indonesia is now ready to face the AEC, which will be implemented beginning next January.          "If we calculate all areas that the ASEAN members need to work on, we have completed 94.1 of the required preparations," President Jokowi noted at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center.          He said that some of the ASEAN members had completed 92 percent, 93 percent, and even 94 percent of the preparations.          "This means that like it or not, everything must be prepared," he affirmed.      Indonesia should be able to derive benefits from the implementation of the AEC.          "We cannot expect to get something (easily). All should be seized." Jokowi remarked.          The Indonesian president emphasized on improving efficiency and competitiveness and stressed on revising regulations that create hurdles.         The president noted that if all aspects are taken into account, then the number of areas that had yet to be worked on could reach several hundred.

INDONESIA STILL NEEDS FURTHER PREPARATIONS TO FACE AEC

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 10 (Antara) - Indonesia still needs to improve in the economic field to face the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities posed by the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which will be implemented beginning next January.          "Some quarters still harbor doubts regarding the readiness of Indonesian businesses in the face of the ASEAN free market," Chief Economic Minister Darmin Nasution stated on Wednesday, last week (Nov. 4).          The minister remarked that in the economic field, Indonesia still has several notes on areas of improvement, which have to be prepared in the short term and long run. Therefore, preparations are very important in the face of the AEC. This is particularly crucial for major economic issues.          "The volume of intra-ASEAN trade has increased significantly, and Indonesia must face it with further preparations," noted the chief economic minister.          He affirmed that the AEC offered opportunities as the ASEAN region is a huge market, with a combined population of 600 million and a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$2.4 trillion in 2014. This is attractive to investors.

MANUFACTURING SECTOR CAN BE INDONESIA'S BACKBONE IN AEC

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 31 (Antara) -- It is believed that the Indonesian market will have the most potential in the region, following the commencement of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at the end of 2015.       This certainty is keeping in mind that Indonesia is the largest member state of the ASEAN, with a population of more than 240 million.          Therefore, Indonesia should increase its competitiveness, if it wants its market to play a major role in the region and prevent the flood of products from other ASEAN nations into the country.          "With the observation that Indonesia's economic growth prospects are likely to remain positive, the country will become an important target market for various member countries of the ASEAN," Dean of Gadjah Mada University's Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Erwan Agus Purwanto, said.          He pointed out that with its gross domestic product being the largest in the region, Indonesia will become the target market for Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and other ASEAN countries.

INDONESIA MUST VIEW ASEAN AS ITS EXPANDED MARKET

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Oct 16 (Antara) - Described as having 40 percent of ASEAN's economic resources or the Greater ASEAN, Indonesia should be able to use the 600 million population of the region as its market base.          If Indonesia fails to garner the benefits of the ASEAN free trade when the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is implemented in 2015, it will only become a market for other nations in the region.          Chief Economic Minister Chaerul Tanjung stated that currently, Indonesia has a population of 250 million. With the implementation of the AEC, its market will increase to 600 million. Thus, all sides, including the central and regional governments, should prepare themselves to face the competition.          "We should not merely compete, but win the competition in free trade when the AEC will be implemented by the end of 2015," Minister Chaerul Tanjung remarked in Ambon, Maluku, on Wednesday.           In fact, Indonesia is now ready to face the AEC as not all sectors will automatically be open to trade and service.          "The AEC does not mean that all the sectors will be entirely open to trade and service. Therefore, Indonesia is now 95 percent ready to face the ASEAN free trade," the minister noted.

COOPERATIVES, SMALL BUSINESSES READY TO FACE AEC

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, March 25 (Antara) - Although Indonesia still has to do many things to prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), small businesses and cooperatives in the country are now ready to compete in the region's free trade in 2015.          Indonesia's cooperatives and small-and-medium enterprises (SME) are ready to face the ASEAN free trade as long as they build consolidation with cooperatives as they are the key to face the free trade.          "If cooperatives in Indonesia implement the cooperative principles and learn a lesson from advanced countries in developing world class cooperatives, the Indonesian cooperatives are now confident in welcoming the AEC," Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Minister Sjarifuddin Hasan said after inaugurating a market under a Traditional Market Revitalization Program in Cianjur, West Java, on Tuesday.          The minister expressed hope that the AEC would encourage all lines of businesses in the country to increase their efficiency in their economic activities, including cooperative activities. The implementation of the AEC will boost competition among countries in the ASEAN region.

RI MUST SPEED UP PREPARATIONS FOR ASEAN MARKET INTEGRATION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 26 (Antara) - Indonesia, which is a major player in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), must accelerate its preparations to face the region's market integration in 2015.         Described as having 40 percent of the region's economic resources or the Greater ASEAN, Indonesia must improve the competitive edge of its products and services, improve its human resources and prepare regulations.        When the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is implemented in 2015, not only commodities and services will move freely within the region but also other products, including manpower.          In this case, Indonesia must prepare itself to improve the quality  not only of its goods and services but also of its human skills, so that it would not serve as a mere market for other countries in the region. It should also become a big exporter of skilled workers. After all, Indonesia has  a population of about 240 million.