Jakarta, 17 October 2013 — After hosting events on rule of law and ASEAN integration in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, HRRC brings the discussions to Jakarta, Indonesia. These activities collectively aim to highlight the significance of rule of law as ASEAN transitions into an integrated region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labour, and freer flow of capital.
With the theme “The Rule of Law in ASEAN: Prospects and Challenges for the Business Community in Indonesia for 2015 and Beyond,” HRRC, with the support of USAID, will host a conference this morning. H. E. Mr. Ngurah Swajaya, Representative of Indonesia to the ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives, will be giving the Keynote Address. Other prominent figures in the rule of law landscape in Indonesia, including H. E. Rafendi Djamin (Indonesia’s Representative to the AICHR), Mr. Danny Lee (Director for Community Affairs Development, ASEAN Secretariat), and Ms. Gadis Arivia (Executive Director, International Center for Ethics) are also anticipated to speak on the pressing topic.
The conference will be followed in the evening by the screening of the short film, “Indonesia: Business and Rule of Law, Towards ASEAN 2015.” Stakeholders, such as Mr. Anggono W. Roosdiono of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, Mr. Eddy Prasetyono of the ASEAN Studies Center in the University of Indonesia, and Ms. Rahima Abdulrahim of the Habibie Center, will be invited to give their commentaries on the business and rule of law outlook in Indonesia as we near the establishment of the ASEAN Community.
The 30-minute video that will be shown poses the question of how prepared Indonesia’s institutions and businesses are to embrace the ASEAN Community. Among the prominent figures who were interviewed are Prof. Dr. Bagir Manan, SH, MCL, former Chief Justice, Supreme Court; Mr. Mas Achmad Santosa, Legal Deputy for President’s Working Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight; Mr. Sofjan Wanandi, Chairman, APINDO (Indonesian Employer’s Association); and H. E. Ngurah Swajaya, the Permanent Representative of Indonesia to ASEAN.
These activities build on the Baseline Study on Rule of Law in ASEAN, completed by HRRC in 2011. The Baseline Study stressed the importance of comprehending the concept of rule of law as ASEAN political-security, socio-cultural, and economic integration nears.
