Army chief warns against panic buying<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wiranto lamented
\nyesterday unfounded rumors on the shortage of basic commodities
\nwhich had triggered panic buying, and warned people against
\nstockpiling daily needs for their own benefit.<\/p>\n
Wiranto said the stockpiling buyers could be charged with
\ncommitting crimes or even subversion for causing unrest.<\/p>\n
"The Armed Forces will not hesitate to take actions against
\nthose who take advantage of the economic crisis," Wiranto said on
\nthe sidelines of a People's Consultative Assembly meeting
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
He said the Armed Forces is undertaking all measures to combat
\nrumors across the archipelago, including safeguarding the
\ncommodities to ensure that people can buy basic necessities. The
\nmilitary have also been deployed to calm the public, according to
\nWiranto.<\/p>\n
"I call on the public not to trust the baseless rumors, which
\nare intended to shake national stability and in the end to
\nthreaten the government's legitimacy," he said.<\/p>\n
He said he suspected that certain groups were behind the
\nrumors and that the security authorities are now searching for
\nthose groups.<\/p>\n
Wiranto said people would not have resorted to panic buying at
\ntraditional markets and supermarkets had they believed that
\nstocks of basic commodities were sufficient.<\/p>\n
Businessman Bambang Trihatmodjo joined in the criticism
\nagainst those involved in panic buying, saying that they were
\nvulnerable to rumors.<\/p>\n
"People should not react excessively to the crisis. The
\ngovernment has ensured that there will be no scarcity of daily
\nneeds," he said.<\/p>\n
He called on the nation to join forces and help the government
\ncope with the crisis. "We will be strong if we unite, as we did
\nin the past," he said.<\/p>\n
Chief of the United Development Party (PPP) faction in the
\nHouse of Representatives, Hamzah Haz, said the panic buying was
\nirrational, and urged the government to take concrete efforts to
\nend the economic turmoil.<\/p>\n
"All cabinet ministers, despite the fact they have only two
\nmonths left to end their terms, must work hard and advise the
\nPresident without waiting for him to ask for it," Hamzah said.<\/p>\n
He said the rupiah free-fall against the U.S. dollar should
\nnot inspire the government to devalue the currency as it would
\nonly cause people to lose their confidence in the rupiah further.<\/p>\n
Economic observer Bambang Warih predicted that mounting
\ninternational pressure would hit Indonesia for unveiling a
\ndisappointingly modest state budget. He said it triggered a new
\nplunge of currencies in some countries.<\/p>\n
"The state budget has raised (questions) as to the
\ngovernment's seriousness in coping with the economic crisis,"
\nsaid the former legislator.<\/p>\n
Panic<\/p>\n
Uncertainty about the adequacy of the supply of basic
\ncommodities continued to prevail in some parts of the country
\nyesterday. Traditional markets and supermarkets in Yogyakarta saw
\nan influx of shoppers.<\/p>\n
Prices were higher than ever.<\/p>\n
In the Kotagede market, the IR-type or C4-type rice sold for
\nRp 2,300 per kilogram, Rp 300 higher than the previous day. The
\nhigher quality types of rice such as Rojo Lele, Cianjur, and
\nDelanggu doubled to Rp 3,500 per kilogram.<\/p>\n
"We just raised the price to follow the market. Otherwise, I
\nwould no longer be able to trade," said Mbok Ikem, a rice seller
\nat the market.<\/p>\n
The same price increase occurred at other traditional markets
\nsuch as Beringharjo, Kranggan, and Sentul, where buyers queued in
\nfront of stalls since dawn yesterday.<\/p>\n
The price of other daily needs such as sugar, cooking oil,
\npepper, and eggs rose sharply yesterday. Sugar was sold at Rp
\n2,200 per kilo, compared to the previous price of Rp 1,600.
\nCooking oil doubled from Rp 2,100 to Rp 4,300 per liter. Eggs
\nsold at Rp 3,600 per kilo, a 50 percent price hike.<\/p>\n
In some smaller shops, owners even refused to sell their
\nmerchandise due to the unstable price.<\/p>\n
A long line of edgy buyers were seen in many of the ancient
\ncity's supermarkets such as Alfa and Hero on Jl. Solo, Gelael on
\nJl. Sudirman, and Mirota Kampus on Jl. Cik Di Tiro.<\/p>\n
However, at least six supermarkets such as Super Ekonomi
\nMalioboro, Matahari Malioboro, Galeria, Progo, Pamor, and Cemara
\nTujuh remained closed yesterday due to the fluctuating price.<\/p>\n
In Bandung, panic buying was also apparent with people seen
\nwithdrawing their money from automatic teller machines.<\/p>\n
Most of them took to the crowded stores and markets yesterday,
\nshopping for basic commodities.<\/p>\n
Head of the West Java logistics agency Chaerudin urged people
\nnot to worry about the stocks of rice and other daily needs,
\nclaiming that the agency had a sufficient supply.<\/p>\n
He said the agency supplied 100,000 tons to feed 30 million
\npeople in the province for the next three months, until the
\nharvest in April.<\/p>\n
"There will be an additional 67,500 tons of rice coming from
\noutside West Java such as Central and East Java and South
\nSulawesi this month," he added.<\/p>\n
In Medan, North Sumatra Military Chief Maj. Gen. Rizal Nurdin
\ntold residents to rest be assured that the supply of basic
\ncommodities was sufficient.<\/p>\n
"The stock is more than enough," he told the media after a
\ncoordinating meeting with local legislators, Medan mayoralty
\nadministration, and the local logistics agency.<\/p>\n
The same frenzy was seen in Ujungpandang, the capital of South
\nSulawesi, where basic necessities' price rose by up to 50 percent
\nyesterday. (43\/23\/44\/21\/30\/swa\/aan\/amd)<\/p>",
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