(From left) H.E. Carlos Felix, Ambassador of Mexico in Malaysia; Mr. Azman Hamid, Foreign Editor, New Straits Times; H.E. Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, Ambassador of Sweden in Malaysia; Tan Sri Ibrahim Zain, Chairman of Censof Holdings Berhad; Bapak Sandiaga Uno, Former Vice Governor of Jakarta; Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid, President of ASEAN Business Club; Mr. Chew Seng Kok, Member of Board of Director of ASEAN Business Club; Mr. Goh Peng Ooi, Member of ASEAN Business Club; Dr. Raymond Kwong, Member of ASEAN Business Club; Jukhee Hong, Executive Director of ASEAN Business Club at the 2nd ABC Dialogue on 3 October 2019.
Former Vice Governor of Jakarta Sandiaga Uno discussed Indonesia’s Political Economy Outlook in ASEAN at the 2nd ASEAN Business Club Dialogue
(3 Oct 2019, Kuala Lumpur) The ASEAN Business Club hosted its 2nd ABC Dialogue titled “Indonesia’s Political Economy Outlook in ASEAN” with Bapak Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, former Vice Governor of Jakarta in Kuala Lumpur. Bapak Sandiaga Uno was also the former candidate of the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia in the recent closely contested 2019 presidential election.
During the ABC Dialogue, it was put forward that Indonesia’s leadership role the key to maintaining ASEAN’s competitiveness and resilience in the current political economy of the world and the ASEAN region. This is due to Indonesia being the largest economy in ASEAN, the world’s fourth most populous nation and the world’s 10th largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity.
A key part of the discussion was the vast opportunities for Indonesia and Malaysia to work together as both nations have similar roots. “Serumpun” is what Pak Sandiaga called the relationship between these two neighbouring countries that share a similar culture and language.
During the ABC Dialogue, Pak Sandiaga explained that Indonesia is promoting the culture of risk-taking and creative entrepreneurship to ensure it’s business landscape embraces the digital economy and remains attractive to investors. Some examples of Indonesian startups that turned out to be highly successful unicorns are Gojek, GoPay, Tokopedia, Ruangguru, Traveloka and many others.
He also shared that the revamped political landscape has allowed for a more robust governance structure, increased political stability and reforms that are both social and pro-business.
The ABC Dialogue aims to bring together leading business individuals in the region to discuss key areas of business and economic cooperation. It provides an avenue for ABC members to have a global outreach and to gain insights from major industry players in the region.
