Jakarta, January 20, 2026 — Indonesia’s KPPU urged stronger cross-border cooperation on competition policy in Southeast Asia and encouraged the creation and strengthening of civil society organisations focused on competition issues as ASEAN economic integration deepens.
KPPU said public participation will be increasingly important to support the ASEAN Strategic Plan on Competition 2026–2030, including its goal “to foster fair markets in the region.” The agency argued that civil society organisations dedicated to competition issues can play a more effective, professional, and sustainable role in supporting both policy development and enforcement across the region.
The call was made by KPPU chair M. Fanshurullah Asa during a meeting with former KPPU commissioner Soy M. Pardede, who also serves as an advisory board member of the ASEAN Competition Institute (ACI). The meeting took place at KPPU’s offices in Jakarta on January 14. Also attending was ACI chair M. Syarkawi Rauf, who previously served as KPPU chair in 2015.
KPPU said the discussions focused on the strategic role of civil society organisations as supporting institutions for policy development and capacity-building in competition law, particularly within ASEAN.
The agency reiterated its commitment to working with civil society organisations and noted that a number of competition-focused groups have developed in Indonesia, including AMCO, FCN, ICLA, and FDPU. KPPU also highlighted the ACI, an institute initiated in 2008 with a focus on Indonesia and Southeast Asia, as a positive example of regional engagement.
“Indonesia must remain an example of a country with significant growth in competition,” Fanshurullah said, adding that supporting public participation is important to help achieve regional objectives. He also credited Pardede as an important figure in the early development of competition policy in ASEAN.
KPPU said strengthening these roles should be accompanied by organisational restructuring so that ACI can grow larger, be managed professionally, and achieve long-term sustainability. The agency also encouraged ACI to expand its cooperation network with ASEAN competition authorities and international partners, and to build closer coordination with former competition leaders, businesses, and academics across the region.
Source: https://kppu.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Siaran-Pers-No.-002_KPPU-PR_I_2026.pdf
