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WASHINGTON: Entrepreneurs from Southeast Asia are making a major impact at a US-hosted summit in Washington.
In a major speech in Cairo last year, US President Barack Obama made a pledge to improve America's relationship with the Muslim world.
As part of that push, he's invited over 250 of the world's most entrepreneurial business leaders to Washington.
The two-day event is designed to help the United States improve its engagement with Muslim populated nations.
Indonesia, with the world's largest Muslim population has been particularly influential at the summit.
Indonesian entrepreneur Sandiago Uno, founding partner of Saratoga Capital, says: "Indonesia is now the third largest democracy in the world and we show the example whereby modernity, Islam, democratization and economy prosperity, since 1997, 1998, can co-exist.
"We're essentially telling the audience here as well as the US administration that if we have this dialogue, if we can basically exchange ideas, opinions, without really dictating what you guys need to do.
"There can be a strong, better relationship can be built from this type of summit, this type of exchanges of ideas. This is a two-way communication, rather than just getting from Washington, this is how democracy should be done. We show in Indonesia that we have freedom of speech, we have democratization and we can fight terrorism better that way."
Tri Mumpuni, executive director of People Centred Economic and Business Institute (IBEKA), an Indonesian organisation that helps entrepreneurs in rural areas, says: "You have to believe that what you're doing is creating a change. A better change, than just doing nothing. And if you do this, like the Obama administration, I believe, it is a very good starting point to reduce the prejudice.
"What's happening now in the world is that there is so much distrust, there are so many bad experiences. We have to start a new life by changing the old paradigm to a new horizon."
K. Kabilan, editor-in-chief of Free Malaysia Today, says: "I think the message is to tell everyone, especially Americans, that there are also entrepreneurs in the rest of the world, especially the Muslim world.
"I also think the Muslim world has been wrongly painted with a negative perception after 911. The summit will give us an opportunity to tell everyone else that is not the case. There are entrepreneurs from the Muslim world, from the third world, who love their economy, who can help develop their own communities."
- AFP/jy
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