ID :
48636
Tue, 03/03/2009 - 10:47
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https://www.oananews.org//node/48636
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News Focus: LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS URGED TO MAKE USE OF WIEF MEETING TO PROMOTE BUSINESSES
By Eliswan Azly
Jakarta, March 2 (ANTARA) - Local businessmen especially those representing state enterprises (BUMN) were urged to take advantage of the ongoing 5th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) to hold business meetings with investors from Middle East countries.
Speaking to journalist here on Monday, State Minister for State Enterprises Sofyan Djalil said the business meetings are necessary for local businessmen to lure Mideast investors to operate in Indonesia under joint venture schemes or any other schemes.
"We are going to invite Middle East investors for a meeting with BUMN leaders," the state enterprises minister said. Many of the investors had yet to know detailed information about economic potentials in Indonesia, he said.
In order to promote Indonesia's potentials, the minister said clear and complete information on businesses and investment cooperation should be provided to theMideast investors.
Sofyan Djalil said the World Islamic Economic Forum was an important event for Indonesia to attract Middle East investors to operate in the country.
"This forum will be an important event for foreign investors to know more about Indonesia and to invest in the country, although it may take one or two years," he said, adding that with the present global financial crisis, cooperation between businessmen and governments needed to be strengthened.
WIEF, according to the minister, had an important meaning for the businessmen and the governments to reach mutual understanding in developing their economy.
Middle Eastern investment in Indonesia is still low because Indonesia is not being promoted enough in the Middle East, said Tanri Abeng, co-vice chairman of the WIFE meeting.
"We lacked promotion in the Middle East so that only few investors from the region know Indonesia and its huge investment potentials," Tanri said on Monday.
To illustrate his point, the Middle Eastern investor said that when he was preparing to go to Jakarta, his wife asked him "what for", which indicates that she knew so little about Indonesia.
But not long after he had arrived in Jakarta, the Middle Eastern businessman called his wife and asked her to come to Jakara telling her that "shopping malls here are not inferior to those in the US or Europe."
"So, this little story shows that people in the Middle East really do not know much about Indonesia," Tanri said.
He therefore hoped the holding of the World Islamic Economic Forum in Jakarta would enable Middle Eastern investors to know Indonesia better and make them become interested in investing in the country.
Tanri hoped the forum would not only lead to the conclusion of investment cooperation agreements but also the implementation of the accords.
"At the end of the meeting on March 4, we will stage an exhibition on Indonesia to promote all of the country's potentials. The forum is a good opportunity, because it is being attended by more delegates than the previous forum in Malaysia and more than hall of them are from the Middle East," Tanri said.
The greater number of delegates also meant that Middle Eastern investors had begun to become more interested in Indonesia, he said. "Never before has the number of delegates to the forum exceeded one thousand," he said.
He said now was the opportunity for Indonesia to attract foreign investors. "They used to look to the US and Europe attracted by investment opportunities in the financial sector but now that the West is in crisis they turn to the East," he said.
He said investment in Eastern countries would not be the same as in the West. "In Eastern countries, investment will go more into the real sector while in the West it was more in the financial sector. This means an opportunity for us as we have a huge investment potential in the real sector," he said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ibrahim E Patel, said the forum in Jakarta as an important opportunity for investors to know more about Moslem countries, particular Indonesia.
"Here we will formulate substantive platforms that stress cooperation among partners. We know that trade knows no geographic, political, religious or racial boundaries," he said.
In the meantime, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his hope during the meeting with OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at the state palace on Monday that trade among the OIC member countries could be increased in 2010, Dino Patti Djalal, a presidential spokesman, said.
Dino said President Yudhoyono had emphasized the importance of trade among OIC members with regard to facing the current global economic challenges.
Yudhoyono also emphasized the importance for the OIC to conduct institutional reform, he said.
"The President said the move was important with regard to continuing the implementation of the 10-year Action Plan that had been reached in Senegal and suggested the use of soft power so that the organization's role would remain relevant," he said.
Jakarta, March 2 (ANTARA) - Local businessmen especially those representing state enterprises (BUMN) were urged to take advantage of the ongoing 5th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) to hold business meetings with investors from Middle East countries.
Speaking to journalist here on Monday, State Minister for State Enterprises Sofyan Djalil said the business meetings are necessary for local businessmen to lure Mideast investors to operate in Indonesia under joint venture schemes or any other schemes.
"We are going to invite Middle East investors for a meeting with BUMN leaders," the state enterprises minister said. Many of the investors had yet to know detailed information about economic potentials in Indonesia, he said.
In order to promote Indonesia's potentials, the minister said clear and complete information on businesses and investment cooperation should be provided to theMideast investors.
Sofyan Djalil said the World Islamic Economic Forum was an important event for Indonesia to attract Middle East investors to operate in the country.
"This forum will be an important event for foreign investors to know more about Indonesia and to invest in the country, although it may take one or two years," he said, adding that with the present global financial crisis, cooperation between businessmen and governments needed to be strengthened.
WIEF, according to the minister, had an important meaning for the businessmen and the governments to reach mutual understanding in developing their economy.
Middle Eastern investment in Indonesia is still low because Indonesia is not being promoted enough in the Middle East, said Tanri Abeng, co-vice chairman of the WIFE meeting.
"We lacked promotion in the Middle East so that only few investors from the region know Indonesia and its huge investment potentials," Tanri said on Monday.
To illustrate his point, the Middle Eastern investor said that when he was preparing to go to Jakarta, his wife asked him "what for", which indicates that she knew so little about Indonesia.
But not long after he had arrived in Jakarta, the Middle Eastern businessman called his wife and asked her to come to Jakara telling her that "shopping malls here are not inferior to those in the US or Europe."
"So, this little story shows that people in the Middle East really do not know much about Indonesia," Tanri said.
He therefore hoped the holding of the World Islamic Economic Forum in Jakarta would enable Middle Eastern investors to know Indonesia better and make them become interested in investing in the country.
Tanri hoped the forum would not only lead to the conclusion of investment cooperation agreements but also the implementation of the accords.
"At the end of the meeting on March 4, we will stage an exhibition on Indonesia to promote all of the country's potentials. The forum is a good opportunity, because it is being attended by more delegates than the previous forum in Malaysia and more than hall of them are from the Middle East," Tanri said.
The greater number of delegates also meant that Middle Eastern investors had begun to become more interested in Indonesia, he said. "Never before has the number of delegates to the forum exceeded one thousand," he said.
He said now was the opportunity for Indonesia to attract foreign investors. "They used to look to the US and Europe attracted by investment opportunities in the financial sector but now that the West is in crisis they turn to the East," he said.
He said investment in Eastern countries would not be the same as in the West. "In Eastern countries, investment will go more into the real sector while in the West it was more in the financial sector. This means an opportunity for us as we have a huge investment potential in the real sector," he said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ibrahim E Patel, said the forum in Jakarta as an important opportunity for investors to know more about Moslem countries, particular Indonesia.
"Here we will formulate substantive platforms that stress cooperation among partners. We know that trade knows no geographic, political, religious or racial boundaries," he said.
In the meantime, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his hope during the meeting with OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at the state palace on Monday that trade among the OIC member countries could be increased in 2010, Dino Patti Djalal, a presidential spokesman, said.
Dino said President Yudhoyono had emphasized the importance of trade among OIC members with regard to facing the current global economic challenges.
Yudhoyono also emphasized the importance for the OIC to conduct institutional reform, he said.
"The President said the move was important with regard to continuing the implementation of the 10-year Action Plan that had been reached in Senegal and suggested the use of soft power so that the organization's role would remain relevant," he said.
