ASEAN Studies Center held a workshop intended to provide more insight about the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) to the Surakarta Administrative and Governance Apparatus on Wednesday (26/10/2016). ASEAN Studies Center also invited Berlianto Situngkir, the Head of Sub-Directorate ASEAN Economic Cooperation, as the main speaker along with Drs. Ign. Agung Satyawan, S.E., S.Ikom., M.Si., Ph.D. Berlianto Situngkir asserted as follow, “We need to take the opportunities in the MEA in order for Indonesia to be competitive towards other ASEAN member states.”
Lukman Fahmi, the moderator of the workshop as well as the lecturer of International Relations Major in Faculty of Social and Political Science UNS, added that, “Indonesian community has many advantage which enable them to compete in MEA, for instance is the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME). This potential needs to be continually encouraged in order for SME in Indonesia could play and compete at the ASEAN level.”
MEA is started in the end of 2015 and it is not oriented on free trade of goods, but also the education and health sector. Thus, Agung Satyawan addressed that there is a need for Indonesia to improve the capacity of the human resources and the infrastructure. To conclude the workshop, Agung also added that as Indonesia ready itself to enter the era of the MEA, current position and the role of government agencies such as Camat and Lurah are very strategic as a spearhead in the optimization of resources.
