Jakarta (11/06) – Indonesia Competition Commission (ICC) has declared the date of birth of Law No. 5 of 1999, namely March 5, as the National Competition Day. The declaration led by the Chairman of ICC, M. Afif Hasbullah was part of the celebration of the 23^th  anniversary of ICC which fell on  June 7, 2023. The declaration was made at the location of the car free day on Sunday, June 11, 2023 in Jakarta. Also present at the declaration were the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs, Law, and Security, Prof. Dr. Mahfud MD, government representatives, representatives of the Competition Academics Forum, as well as the Commissioners of the Periods I to IV of the ICC.

Prof. Mahfud MD in his address underscored that the reform is aimed at removing government centralization to eradicate corruption, collusion, and nepotism. In a condition where Indonesia's competitiveness is declining and the gaps are still wide, ICC ought to have a bigger role and position itself appropriately in coping with this problem. In order to achieve an advanced Indonesia, Indonesia needs to be supported by three interrelated dimensions, namely anti-corruption, fair competition, and consumer protection. As a cumulative requirement, the said three things deserve to be strengthened in a balanced fashion for the failure of one dimension will lead to the failure of other dimensions. To that end, reform needs to still be continued.

ICC’s Chairman, Afif Hasbullah, in his declaration address asserted that it is important for Indonesia to have a National Competition Day. The purpose of the commemoration is to instill awareness of the rights of the public to obtaining benefits from business actors who compete in a fair fashion as well as the benefits of the government policy that is pro-creation of a fair business environment. ICC underscores that the public has the rights to obtaining quality product choices in the market and obtaining products at a reasonable price as a result of fair competition. The prices should not be those fixed by cartels or set by virtue of collective agreements by business actors, or the quality of products or prices set haphazardly by business actors perpetrating a monopoly.

ICC chose March 5 as the National Competition Day for that very date constitutes a point of departure for the change in the centralized Indonesian economy to a democratic system in the field of equitable economy. On that date, business actors and policy makers had to begin changing their ways of behaving by abandoning various monopolistic ways, and leaving behind the mindset that business activities can only develop if there is a close relationship between decision makers and business actors, either directly or indirectly. That very date was the starting point for Indonesia in reorganizing business activities domestically so that the business world could grow and develop in a sound and fair fashion, and to avoid the concentration of economic power in the hands of certain individuals or groups which detrimental to the public and contradictory to the goal of social justice.

ICC will reverberate on National Competition Day annually. To that end, ICC will put forward a proposal and boost the President of the Republic of Indonesia so as to be able to issue a Presidential Decree with regard to the stipulation of March 5 as the National Competition Day.