Bleak outlook<\/p>\n
Yesterday saw a typical collection of news stories from
\nIndonesia; none of them startling but all of them illustrating
\nwhy outsiders are so deeply worried about the country's future.<\/p>\n
Violence continued in Aceh province despite an official
\nextension of a cease-fire. At least eight people were killed on
\nBorneo in fighting between indigenous tribes and settlers from
\nother islands.<\/p>\n
Efforts to try the eldest daughter of former president
\nSoeharto on corruption charges were denounced. Economics Minister
\nRizal Ramli flew to Washington, hoping to get US$400 million from
\nInternational Monetary Fund officials who have lost faith in his
\npolicies.<\/p>\n
And, just to top it off, a volcano in eastern Java spewed lava
\nfor the ninth consecutive day.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Government cannot do much about volcanoes. But the
\nother items are all examples of its continued inability to deal
\nwith man-made problems. President Abdurrahman Wahid provides
\nfaltering leadership at best and may not survive long in office.
\nParliament threatens to oust him for reasons ranging from
\ncorruption to incompetence.<\/p>\n
But his likely successor, Vice-President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, keeps her sphinx-like stance, and it is not clear
\nif she wants him to go. She has criticized Wahid obliquely but
\nhas not committed herself to anything in particular. Confusion
\nand squabbling continue, there is speculation about the army's
\nintentions and the economy sags even more.<\/p>\n
Indonesia needs clear policies and firm leadership to reform
\nthe economy and maintain stability. But Wahid apparently cannot
\nprovide them and there is no great confidence in Megawati. The
\noutlook continues to be bleak.<\/p>\n
-- The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bleak-outlook-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }