Does Indonesia expect any expertise from its public servants?

It’s dismally common to find government minsters displaying spectacular ignorance of subjects they represent their country about. 

But that’s often because they’ve got elections to win, and find themselves switched from responsibility for roads to primary education at an hour’s notice. For detailed understanding of their responsibilities and the complications they have to work under, they depend on public servants.

Unless, apparently, they’re Indonesian.

Ramon Bangun, director of textile and miscellaneous industries, at the Ministry of Industry of Indonesia, has reportedly claimed that “Unlike Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, Indonesia has not entered a trade agreement which allows a special duty to export textile products to Europe and the US.”

Which shows either monumental ignorance, or an exceptionally sloppy reporter. But since in our experience at Clothesource, developing-world civil servants are always convinced their country suffers from some exceptional handicap no-one else does, I’m inclined to suspect this nonsense owes more to Bangun’s  ignorance than a reporters asleep on the job (Although in our experience at Clothesource, it’s never wise to assume reporters are competent – or even awake - either) .

Indonesia has no special access for its garments or textiles to the US. But neither have Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, or Laos. Indonesia DOES have a minor concession for getting its garments and textiles into Europe – exactly the same concession enjoyed by Vietnam. It doesn’t have the same special rights of access to the EU or the EFTA countries as Burma, Cambodia or Laos – but that’s not because those countries have entered into any trade agreement, but because Europe, like Australia and Japan, automatically gives duty-free access to the world’s 49 poorest countries.

Unlike Vietnam, Indonesia has shown no interest in negotiating a free trade deal with the EU, or in joining the Trans Pacific Partnership with the US. There IS a possibility Indonesia will find itself at a competitive disadvantage with Vietnam if the two deals Vietnam’s negotiating go through – though I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting.

Bangun’s underlying argument that Indonesia needs closer ties with the EU and EFTA to avoid being undercut by its neighbours is sound. But it doesn’t help to get hopelessly muddled about simple facts.

That’s what politicians are there for. Public servants unsure about the complexities of trade agreements need go no further than the Clothesource website: our new Guide to Apparel Trade Agreements is designed to be easy enough even for an Indonesian public servant to understand. If they want to understand the world: but it IS so much easier to sound off in ignorance, isn't it?