President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Saturday (6/11/04) vowed to take strong measures to combat corruption and terrorism, as well as boost democracy, in order to attract US investment to improve Indonesia's economic growth.
"My intention is real, practical anti-corruption measures and not just cosmetic ones," he was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.
The former general, who on October 20 became Indonesia's first democratically elected president, was speaking to American officials, legislators and business leaders at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington via a live video conference from Jakarta.
He said the US-Indonesian relationship has great potential growth, but warned the US not to be complacent in its relationship with Indonesia. "I think that the best way for either party to enter this relationship is to never take it for granted, and to always try to earn each other's trust, respect and confidence," he was quoted as saying by Voice of America News.
The US is Indonesia's second-largest trading partner, second only to Japan, with annual bilateral trade of about $12 billion. Although Indonesia exports a wide range of commodities to the US, security threats, rampant corruption and poor law enforcement have deterred many investors. US investments in Indonesia amount to about $9 billion annually, mostly in the oil, gas and mining sectors.
Yudhoyono said he would take action to curb poverty and unemployment, and deal with corruption and terrorism. "I have told my ministers in the first cabinet meeting that this will be a performance-driven team, no matter if one is a professional or a party appointee, one will ultimately be judged by the strength of his or her performance to deliver," he was quoted as saying by VOA News.
But he warned not to expect immediate results, saying it would take a long time to implement thorough changes. "I know the list of to-dos will get longer and longer. But it is worth remembering that this is not a sprint. It is a marathon. It is a test of stamina, a test of endurance, a test of political will and we are not just aiming for 100 days, but the next five years."
Yudhoyono answered questions from the participants, saying he was developing a political system "which is genuinely accountable to the people and based on rule of law and not on personalities".
"With this new effort and endeavor, the time has come for our friends in the United States to come to Indonesia and to invest more in our economy," he was quoted as saying by AFP.
Emphasizing his commitment to stamping out corruption, he mentioned that in his first week in office, he conducted surprise visits to the police, taxation and customs offices, "all of which are vital to the business community".
Commenting on terrorism, he said security was being tightened throughout the country to hunt down key members of regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah.
"I will establish a surveillance system around the country that will work 24 hours a day to detect and deal with possible terrorist threats and I will enhance international cooperation to fight terrorist networks," he was quoted as saying by AFP.
Asked by Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly about his efforts to end conflict in rebellious Aceh and Papua provinces, Yudhoyono said his administration would hold talks with Free Aceh Movement rebels to implement "special autonomy".
He further said he had met with a group of Papuan leaders at his office on Thursday and agreed to hold talks to tackle various problems and strengthen special autonomy.