REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia should remain independent in the face of the expanding free market, particularly after the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015 (AEC 2015), according to a legislator.

"Indonesia will become part of AEC 2015, and that means the country will be open to the markets of all ASEAN member states," a member of House of Representatives Commission III, Bambang Soesatyo, said here on Saturday.

Therefore, he noted that Indonesia must be led by a leader who is independent and focused on building the nation's economy.

"If the leader who is elected in the upcoming 2014 election is not smart in dealing with the ASEAN Economic Integration, then more than 200 million Indonesian people will only remain consumers," Bambang said.

That means, he added, that the 2014 election is important and very strategic for the future of the nation.

Meanwhile, officials of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) have asked the government to remain observant and intensively consult with the business community regarding free market agreements that involve Indonesia.

"With a lot of economic challenges in relation to the Free Trade Agreement, the business players, together with the government, should seek to determine what parts of the economy need to be protected," Kadin deputy chairman for trade and international relations, Chris Kanter, said here on Friday.

Further, Kanter noted that the government should not shut itself off from business sectors that need foreign investment.

According to Indonesian Indigenous Entrepreneurs Association (HIPPI) Central Executive Board Chairperson Suryani Motik, the implementation of AEC 2015 will bring Indonesia's economy to a crossroads.

"On one side, the ASEAN Economic Community will bring up concerns among entrepreneurs, while on the other side it will provide an opportunity for them," Suryani said.

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