Alibaba founder and executive chairman, Jack Ma, has accepted Indonesia's offer as e-commerce adviser to the Indonesian government, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Jack Ma met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his delegation when they visited Alibaba's headquarters during the G20 summit in Hangzhou last week, the report said.
According to the report, Communication and Information Technology Minister Rudiantara asked the Chinese tycoon to be an adviser to a government committee tasked to develop the country's emerging e-commerce sector.
"We really need advisers for the steering committee," Rudiantara told reporters on Friday, Sept. 9. "These advisers should be international figures who have the proven qualities and capabilities like Jack Ma."
The minister said that Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution will lead the committee, which consists of 10 ministers and agency heads. The committee hopes to connect eight million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia online by 2020.
Alibaba confirmed acceptance of Ma's new role.
"Communication with the government is already under way to see how we can help advance the development of e-commerce to empower SMEs in Indonesia," Alibaba said in a statement.
Indonesia is taking similar steps taken by other Southeast Asian countries, especially Malaysia, which set up its International Advisory Panel in 1997, to guide the country on how to build its information technology industry.
Analysts however, said that there may be a conflict of interest with Ma's appointment to a quasigovernmental position as Alibaba is aiming to expand its business in Southeast Asia. The Chinese company has acquired a major stake in Singapore-based e-commerce giant Lazada Group for $1 billion, with access to more than 600 million potential customers.
But an Alibaba spokesman said that Ma aims to help e-commerce in Indonesia to grow and that "actions speak louder than words."
Sudev Bangah, Indonesia country manager for research firm IDC, said that the committee, like Malaysia's advisory panel, must be consist of industry analysts, consultants, vendors and government representatives to maintain its fairness.
"We need to make sure conflicts of interest won't happen by including local advisers and industry groups" in the panel, Aulia Marinto, chairman of the Indonesian e-commerce association, said.
Local e-commerce players and some investors commended the government's move as they know Ma's accomplishments in turning Alibaba from a small company into a multibillion-dollar global firm.
"Through his vast experience and wisdom, his advice to build a great e-commerce ecosystem in Indonesia will be invaluable," Shinta Dhanuwardoyo, an Indonesian angel investor, said.