For Arab investors Islam and profitability are key factors, while for Americans it is safety and legal certainty.

Sheikh Saleh Abdullah Kamel, the President of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said on the 13th at a seminar in Jakarta called “Economic Coorperation for a Better Society”, that middle eastern investors regarded Indonesia positively because it was a Muslim country and because many of the investment projects available were highly attractive.

For Kamel Indonesia was one of the countries most prioritised by Arab investors, others being Egypt, Pakistan, and Senegal. This was due to the Islam factor:

We regard Indonesia as a brother country which follows Islam.

Sugiharto, the minister for state enterprises, BUMN, said that the middle east was awash with spare capital, to the tune of 700 billion dollars, available for investment in infrastructure projects such as the twenty-five currently being promoted by his office.

Meanwhile, Thomas J. Donohue, president of the US Chamber of Commerce, lauded the efforts of the current Indonesian administration in creating a safe and increasingly attractive investment environment.

I feel safe in Indonesia. There are a lot of other countries where the security situation is worse.

However he advised the government to relax the rules on investment further, reform the labour laws, and put business dealing in Indonesia on a surer, more transparent, footing. kompas