American Investors & Jokowi Effect

By: Indah Nuritasari

American investors want to know what Jokowi’s policies would be if he is elected as president. “But Jokowi hasn’t talked about it a lot,” said Wayne Forrest, the President of American-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce at the “Managing Risk in ASEAN: Opportunities and Challenges, Focus: Indonesia” seminar in Yale Club of NY, Manhattan, New York. “Jokowi Effect” is one of the main things around 125 American investors want to know at the event.

The seminar explored the primary economic and political risks, as well as opportunities, facing the nations of Southeast Asia in the months and years ahead. With a focus on Indonesia, the region's dominant economy, the event was designed for firms investing or doing business in the ASEAN region.

Three expert panels came from the private sector, government, and academia with a particular focus on Indonesia, which is in the midst of important political transitions. Four important officials from Indonesia spoke at the event such as Agus Martowardojo, The Governor of Bank Indonesia, Chatib Basri, The Finance Minister, Rahmat Waluyanto, Vice Chairman of the recently created Financial Services Authority, as well as Achmad Kurniadi, Deputy Chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board.

The new elected President Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla, VIce President

Scot Marciel, one of America's most experienced diplomats covering Southeast Asia, who is now Principal Deputy Assistant of State, delivered opening remarks. The panels discussed political dynamics in the region especially important given Indonesia's Presidential elections, the region's economic landscape and its growth outlook and the opportunities and challenges in the region's largest economy.

At that event Chatib Basri mentioned about the needs for land reform in Indonesia and the role of middle class in creating political change in Indonesia. Another speaker, Alexander C Feldman, the President of US-ASEAN Business Council, explained how important Indonesia’s role is in ASEAN, he posited, “If we are talking about Indonesia, we are talking about almost half of ASEAN. Indonesia is very important economically and politically in ASEAN”.

The other experts at the event was Ghafur Dharmaputra, the Indonesian General Consul in New York and Professor William Liddle from Ohio State University.