Jakarta, March 23, 2007 (The Jakarta Post) - A strategic group consisting of business-people, academics and government officials has set an ambitious target of transforming Indonesia into one of the 'world's major powers in the next 20 years.
In a document called Indonesian Vision 2030, the group Indonesia Forum said Thursday the country would join the ranks of major economies after China, India, the United States and the European Union.
It sets a target of reaching a per capita gross domestic product of US$18,000 by 2030.
The group assumed the country's economy would grow by 7.26 percent annually, with an annual inflation rate of 4.95 percent and a population growth rate of 1.12 percent.
By the year 2030, Indonesia's population would reach 285 million, with a gross domestic product of US$5.1 trillion.
The group also set a target of having at least 30 Indonesian companies among the 500 world-class companies listed each year by Fortune magazine.
The group said the goals could be 'achieved only if Indonesia took the necessary steps, including integrating the country's economy with the world market, implementing good governance principles and constructing adequate infrastructure.
The group also proposed a synergy between labor, government and the business sector to improve the country's competitiveness in the global environment.
The foundation chairman, Mega group tycoon Chairul Tanjung, said the vision constituted a road map for Indonesia's journey toward becoming a developed nation.
The Indonesia Forum Foundation presented the vision to President Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday in a ceremony at the State Palace.
Other prominent businessmen such as Angky Camaro of Sampoerna group and Anthony Salim of the Salim group are also members of the foundation, along with economists Anggito Abimanyu and Muhammad Chatib Basri.
Yudhoyono said he was optimistic Indonesia would achieve the targets and develop beyond its present condition.
The president acknowledged that the targets are ambitious. "I know that after hearing this, some will say "dream on", but I say do not hesitate to dream. Not only big nations strive to realize their dreams," he said.
Economist H.S. Dillon criticized the vision, saying it was unrealistic to project Indonesia as becoming a major economy without taking into account emerging powers such as Brazil and Russia which are also starting to catch up with developed countries.
"Brazil and Russia could make rapid gains," he said.
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