Dutch Envoy Speaks on SBY and Irfan Bachdim
- VIVAnews / Renne Kawilarang
Do you think that the delay of the President Yudhoyono's visit may hamper the bilateral partnership in the future?
I am pleased to say it again that the issue of the postponement brings no effect to the bilateral relationship between two countries. I think that the day-to-day practice by the government from both countries makes it very clear that the relationship between Indonesia and the Netherlands have been running strong.
After the postponement of the visit, former Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda was visiting the Netherlands in last November. He was invited to deliver an opening speech in a forum.
Last month, February 2011, we welcomed the Mayor of Rotterdam to Jakarta. We are looking forward for the Dutch Attorney General’s visit to Indonesia next week to attend an international conference and meet colleagues in Indonesia.
In addition, there will be regular meetings of senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from both countries in the coming weeks. We also hope to discuss the possibility of official visits at ministerial level.
What are the bilateral projects in Indonesia that have been committed by both countries this year?
The new Dutch government has decided to cooperate with Indonesia in certain fields. In the legal sector, for example, we agree to cooperate on capacity building and exchange contacts between officials from the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court.
Cooperation is also carried out on food security and agriculture sector, which have been established for a long time. The partnership between the two countries will also include higher education sector and scholarship programs.
In the field of water management, we intend to pass on expertise in several cities in Indonesia. Processing of water resources is closely related to climate change issues.
The government of Rotterdam recently set up an agreement with the government of DKI Jakarta for flood control programs. Similar cooperation is also applied in Semarang. So there are so many sectors of cooperation carried out by both countries.
What about economic and trade cooperation. Do you see an increasing trend in those partnerships even though the two countries have just dealt with the global financial turmoil in 2008?
I take a note on one thing; the Indonesia's economy has been running very well despite the global financial crisis a couple years ago. The Indonesia's economic growth by 6.1 percent last year is a positive sign while the others are still struggling to recover.
The other thing is the volume of trade between the two countries, which is currently more profitable for Indonesia. The Dutch exports to Indonesia amounted to 450 million euro, while our imports amounted to 1.9 billion euro from your country. Most of Indonesia's imports sail through the port city of Rotterdam.
So we have to focus of boosting up our exports to Indonesia to become balanced. But we are also pleased with the Indonesia’s economic development.
The Netherlands is in the top ten of foreign investors in Indonesia. Many Dutch companies, small and medium-scale, have made business with Indonesia. It is worth between $600 million and $ 1.2 billion. We are also listed as the fourth largest foreign investor in ASEAN.
What Indonesia should do to attract more Dutch investors?
There are things need to be addressed. Indonesia should be consistent in investment regulations, and such a situation does not currently exist. We see many rules overlap against each other. This situation makes foreign investors difficult to understand the situation as well as to make their business expectations.
The other thing that should be concerned is that many foreign investors already active in Indonesia should deal with new legislations, which are contradicting to the previous agreement. That ultimately disrupts their focus.
There are two rules that should deserve attention. First is horticultural law, where the share of property ownership by foreigners is suddenly reduced to 30 percent.
Furthermore, we also highlight the regulation of postal services. A similar situation is taking place. Foreign companies come to invest by referring to previous regulations. However, the host government changes the rules without taking any attention to the previous agreements [with foreign investors].
When those rules have been improved, then the situation will get better.
On football issue, Indonesia is now desperately looking for young talents to strengthen the quality of its national team, which always gives poor performance. Apparently, many young people who have Indonesian descent are playing football in the Netherlands and enjoying good competition there. Does the Dutch government have an interest to help Indonesia to improve its football quality?
I think Indonesia played well at the ASEAN Cup Championship last year and became the second winner. To be frank, Indonesia's football achievement is not much different from the Netherlands’ in recent years. Our national team has performed several times in the [World Cup] finals, as in the 2010 World Cup, but never became the champion.
But I see a great interest from the Dutch soccer players to play in Indonesia. There are also players from the Netherlands who have been joining Indonesia clubs, such as Irfan Bachdim. On the way home, I often saw a photo of him in a big billboard for a product.
I believe many Dutch football players and coaches as well as those who have Indonesian decent residing in the Netherlands have a great desire to play in Indonesia. Accordingly, I do not see any space for the government to participate in improving the quality of football in Indonesia. Moreover, the soccer associations from the two countries have made a good contact.
Personally I am also impressed with the number of Indonesian descent players who played in the Netherlands and who took an opportunity to play for our national team, such as Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Sonny Silooy, and Simon Tahamata.
12 Penyelam Terbaik Bantu Pencarian Korban Kapal Virgo Transport 8 Hari Ini
Basarnas memfokuskan 12 penyelam terbaik untuk melanjutkan pencarian korban kecelakaan Kapal Virgo Transport 8 yang belum ditemukan di Laut Jawa, pada pencarian hari ke-8
