AmCham Indonesia and the United States Indonesia Society (USINDO) hosted a warmly received luncheon for a visiting bilateral delegation of US lawmakers with Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan. Also present was communication minister Rudiantara and BKPM chief Thomas Lembong.
The event drew a full house of business leaders and government officials from both countries to the Fairmont Hotel in Jakarta for a frank and open exchange of views. The six-member delegation was comprised of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. Given current political tensions in Washington, one AmCham member quipped that it was good to see the two parties getting along together in Jakarta.
“This was a great opportunity to join hands with our friends from USINDO and give our businesses a chance to interact with the Congressional leaders,” said AmCham Managing Director A Lin Neumann.
The presence of the three ministers was an indication of the importance the government of Indonesia placed on the visit by the Congressmen. The rest of their three-day itinerary was spent on talks revolving around building a partnership with the House of Representatives (DPR), security issues and, of course, trade and investment. US Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph Donovan was also present.
“We would like to understand the interests of the business community,” said delegation leader Congressman David E Price. “Indonesia has been our partner in the legislative aspect. The idea is to mutually strengthen our capacities as people’s representatives since we both uphold democratic values.”
Co-chair Vern Buchanan, a former businessman, was keen to discuss business issues. “I want the US and Indonesia to find ways where we can work more together,” he said.
Luhut was upbeat as he discussed the direction of the government in the next administration under President Joko Widodo.
“There is good news coming from Indonesia,” he said. “We have just finished our elections [legislative and presidential] and currently we are watching the development of many startups in Indonesia built by the young generation.
“Under President Jokowi, we have managed to lower inflation and the poverty rate.”
Luhut acknowledged there are problems to overcome, but he said the government is firm in its resolve to make things better.
“It is the government’s responsibility to create a healthy business environment,” he said. “As regulators, we are committed to ensure sustainable, equitable economic growth.”
At one point, Rudiantara spontaneously rose to ask a question about battling so-called fake news on social media in Indonesia. Price said the same problems occur in the US. USINDO’s President David Merrill kept the dialogue going during an impressive exchange over difficult issues.
In his remarks, Luhut urged stronger ties and greater cooperation. “I believe that Indonesia and the US have the same view about openness, trade, innovation and democracy. The US can be a model for us in a lot of aspects. We have yet to fully realize the potential of US and Indonesia bilateral trade relations.”
The meeting ended as several lawmakers stayed to banter with the audience and the cabinet ministers took informal questions from those attending.
“This is the kind of event that we think brings real value to AmCham members and partners like USINDO,” said Neumann. “I look forward to more such gatherings as we bring the private sector into the dialogue between the US and Indonesia.”
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