By: Arifin )*
The Ministry of Trade will continue to review and negotiations about the cooperation in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). The government will establish a national inter-ministerial team to discuss the trade cooperation agreement, reported sindonews.com.
Trade Minister Thomas Lembong plans to form a cross-ministerial team to study the free trade agreements, such as the TPP, quoted Merdeka.com
In addition, the Ministry of Coordinator for Economic Affairs will also soon establish an inter-ministerial team to assess the advantages and disadvantages for Indonesia, if entered into cooperation across the Pacific (TPP). Minister of Coordinating for Economic Affairs, Nasution said, plans to join the TPP is still in the early discussion stages. Still need more in-depth discussion about it, Kompas.com reported on Wednesday (01/13/2016).
Professor of International Economic Law, University of Indonesia, Hikmahanto Juwana assess, Indonesia would not be much benefit if join the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. He explained that Indonesia just a huge market with a large population. Unfortunately, Indonesia is not a production base for foreign investors.
According to his opinion, businesses that are members of that agreement just seeing Indonesia as a market, but they are not interested to invest in Indonesia. That’s way, countries like Indonesia there is no correlation between the large market who promising market with the opening of the employment gains.
Researchers from Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jose Rizal Damuri asked the government to really prepare themselves carefully before joining TPP. This is because, other ASEAN countries such as Vietnam have prepared themselves for a long time, so it is ready to compete with the TPP member countries, cited Republika.co.id
According to the Director General of International Trade Cooperation Ministry of Trade Bachrul Chairi, Indonesia is not ready to participate in a trade deal TPP. This unpreparedness caused a partnership between 12 countries in the Asia Pacific region was very deep and broad aspects of liberalization, as reported Republika.co.id
“One impact if Indonesia participated in the TPP is the liberalization of import and export goods through the elimination of tariffs and export taxes. In addition, the liberalization of investment with the heavy proviso, such as the lack of local content and no export performance after the Trade Related Investment Measures (TRIMS) World Trade Organization (WTO), “he explained.
Indonesia has not yet decided to participate in the TPP because they consider the impact on the domestic economy, quoted from Kontan.co.id.
Not only that, in the press release Indonesian for Global Justice (IGJ), Manager of Research and Monitoring IGJ, Rachmi Hertanti requested that the Special Team Assessor TPP work openly and inclusively. Results of study should be reported on a regular basis and is open for public consumption so that people can get involved in scientific debate. This is because the TPP will impact than just affairs of exports and imports. State sovereignty aspects and impacts of the economic, social, and cultural rights of the people, should also be counted, quoted suaramerdeka.com
Rector of Paramadina University, Firmanzah warned the government to be cautious and prepare. “Not only regulated trade in the TPP, but non regulated aspects are also regulated, such as labor, state, regulation of competition, intellectual environment, property and small and medium enterprises,” he said quoted by kompas.com
)* The Author is Jakarta Regional Contributor