"If we calculate all matters that need to be prepared like what have to be prepared by other ASEAN members, we have prepared 94.1 of them," President Joko Widodo said.
Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo said Indonesia is 94.1 percent ready to face the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) which will be implemented beginning next January.

"If we calculate all matters that need to be prepared like what have to be prepared by other ASEAN members, we have prepared 94.1 of them," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) on Sunday.

He said that some of the ASEAN members had prepared 92 percent, 93 percent and 94 percent. "This means that like it or not every thing must be prepared," he added.

On the factors which have not yet been prepared, the President said that there are many points that can reach hundreds. "I think the 94 percent point is a maximal one," he added.

Referring to the statement of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak that the ASEAN peoples are difficult to feel direct impact of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Jokowi said it is the task of a head of state/government to make it go down to earth.

"It should not be felt by only a group or a handful of persons but also by all layers of the people beginning from the grass-root level to the upper class people," Jokowi said.

He said that Indonesia should be able to make use of the AEC and take advantage of it. "We cannot expect to get something (easily). All should be seized."

Jokowi said efficiency and competitiveness must be improved. Regulations which posed constraints must be revised.

Earlier, the governments of Indonesia and Vietnam held a bilateral talk to increase cooperation of the two countries on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit here on Sunday.

President Jokowi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Ngyen Tan Dung met at about 8.30 a.m local time.

"I am happy that we can meet again. I appreciate very much the cooperation between Indonesia and Vietnam that has been established so far," President Jokowi said.

The President was accompanied by among others Chief Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, Coodinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Panjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli, Trade Minister Tomas Lembong, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Aung and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

Beside having a bilateral meeting with his Vietnames counterpart, President Jokowi also is scheduled to attend a meeting held in conjuction with 40 years of ASEAN-New Zealand relations.

He is also slated to have a bilateral meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister at about 10 a.m local time.

Jokowi is also scheduled to jointly sign the declaration on the Reinforcement of the ASEAN Community 2015 and the Kuala Lumpur Declaration for ASEAN 2015.

The Indonesian President will also meet with the UN Secretary General.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015