Bisnis.com - January 25,
2010
Sepudin Zuhri, Jakarta – The
Indonesian People's Opposition Front (FOR Indonesia) is calling on the
government to immediately stop trade liberalisation and pull out of all
existing free trade cooperation agreements.
Working People's
Association (PRP) chairperson and FOR Indonesia Coordinator Anwar Ma’ruf said
that pulling out of the ASEAN China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) would not harm
Indonesia nor would it be ostracised from other ASIAN countries in the region
because Indonesian products exported to China are still dominated by raw
materials.
"If we pull out of the
agreement [ACFTA], Indonesia will not be isolated. It is precisely the ASIAN
countries that see Indonesia as being too willing to open up its markets. What
is needed instead is to protect domestic markets", said Ma’ruf during an
event held today titled A Critical Evaluation of Five Years and 100 Days of
the SBY Regime.
According to Ma’ruf,
Indonesia will not gain any benefits from the ACFTA because it will only become
a market for Chinese products. If this cooperative agreement is implemented,
the public will continue to fight until the Yudhoyono regime is replaced with a
regime that sides with the ordinary people. "Like it or not we must start
preparing now to resist and cultivate the opposition [movement]."
Ma’ruf said that local
businesspeople may well shift their activities and become importers of Chinese
products. FOR Indonesia, he went on, will continue to highlight issues related
to free trade cooperating, because as long as there is no government opposition
the public must act to respond to the first 100 days of the cabinet's program.
(tw)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
