YOGYAKARTA – Plan for establishment of ASEAN+6 single market as the world’s largest trade bloc following the Asean Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 18-19 November 2012, according to Rector of UGM, Prof. Dr. Pratikno., M.Soc., Sc.,. needs to be reviewed by the President of the Republic of Indonesia. It is because the bloc plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea has the effect of the more open flow of commodities and services into Indonesia. “We will come into a dangerous zone, the flow of foreign manpower,” Pratikno said during the inauguration of students of Diploma Program, Wednesday (21/11).
Of the 6 country partners joining the Asean+6, India is seen as very ambitious for ASEAN to open itself not only for commodities but also services. “I have great concerns about it as India is very competitive at the global level. The IT competition in the U.S. is very much driven by IT developments in India,” he added.
Facts about Indian human resource showed that some education institutions in the U.S. are occupied by qualified researchers and lecturers from India.
According to Pratikno, the Indonesian government needs to reconsider and re-measure the readiness of Indonesian manpower in terms of technical, communication and managerial competitiveness if the service trade flow in ASEAN+6 is agreed.
Despite the fact, opportunities and challenges that arise need to be explored by Indonesian skilled workers, especially the middle experts. The increased economic growth and investment are along with manufacture development. “Indonesia enjoys good economic growth, currently it is the 15th in the world. It is predicted that it will jump into the 10th by 2030,” he said.
The big economic opportunity, according to Pratikno, cannot be easily grasped. Many challenges are faced by Indonesian manpower. The big economic asset in Indonesia is dominated by foreign companies where leadership and management are occupied by foreign skilled workers. “Long before the ASEAN Community 2015 begins, the CEOs of Indonesian major companies are mostly held by Philippines and Thai workers who have strong competitive skills,” he added.
340 Middle Experts are Inaugurated
Meanwhile, in the inauguration ceremony Prof. Dr. Pratikno., M.Soc., Sc. inaugurated as many as 340 middle experts who have an average study time of 3 years and 3 months. The shortest study period, 2 years and 8 months, was made by Ananda Bayu Yulianto Suharno in Civil Engineering. The youngest graduate, 19 years and 11 months old, is Dodi Tri Nopra Jaya Saputra in Electrical Engineering. The number of graduates with cumlaude distinction is 28 people while the highest GPA, 3,90, is achieved by Diah Fitria Widhiningsih.