Government's explanation needed<\/p>\n
From Neraca<\/p>\n
I am a working woman and at the same time a student at a
\nprivate university. My colleagues and our bosses at the office
\nhave been withdrawing their bank deposits and buying daily needs.
\nI followed in their steps.<\/p>\n
My brother who is employed in the Sudirman area also has the
\nsame story. His friends were involved in panic buying and bought
\nup everything at Goro, Makro and other supermarkets. They are
\nafraid that the government will introduce rupiah devaluation.
\nStrange that this \"horrifying\" rumor can easily spread and
\ninfluence most of the community in Jakarta. (I don't know if the
\nsame thing has also happened in other cities.)<\/p>\n
My aunt, who has just sold her house, has become greatly
\nworried by these rumors. She has also, as a result, withdrawn her
\ndeposit, placed it in a government bank, and, for safety's sake,
\nbought U.S. dollars, despite the unreasonably high exchange rate
\nof Rp 11,000\/U.S. dollar, because she has not found a suitable
\npiece of land or house to purchase.<\/p>\n
Our neighbors, housewives, have of late been fond of gossiping
\nabout the U.S. dollar rate hike and the skyrocketing prices of
\nthe nine basic commodities, medicine and milk. What's worse,
\nsupplies of these commodities are running thin. Carton-packed
\npowdered milk for babies, usually cheaper than tinned powdered
\nmilk, disappeared from distribution, while the price of tinned
\npowder milk has increased by almost 200 percent.<\/p>\n
Housewives says that our income remains the same while the
\nprices of the domestically produced basic commodities, let alone
\nthose of imported goods, have continued to go up. I have heard
\nthat at Kramat Jati and Rawamangun, the Jakarta logistics depot
\nsold the nine basic commodities at reduced prices but that they
\nhave sold out. Then, where is our economy heading? The crime rate
\nis on the rise because great numbers of people have to be dumped
\ninto the ranks of the unemployed.<\/p>\n
Deep in my heart I hope that the government will immediately
\nexplain to the community what our economic condition is at
\npresent. The community is keen to have such information as the
\nposition of our trade balance, the magnitude of our imports and
\nexports, the size of our foreign exchange reserves, a realistic
\nstrategy to translate into reality the state budget of revenues
\nand expenditures, the position of our offshore loans, the
\nprogress in our economic reforms, the aid provided by the IMF and
\nso forth.<\/p>\n
However, the government seems to be unperturbed. Please,
\nexplain all these things to us, the laymen, so that we will not
\nbe confused all the time. At least, the government should
\nconsolidate social unity and union in order that the community
\nwill continue to have confidence in the rupiah. It can do so by
\nsaying \"Go to hell US$.\"<\/p>\n
Our fellow countrymen in rural areas do not care a dime about
\nU.S. dollars, do they? What concerns them is only the price of
\nthe daily necessities. Please let us have the real situation. We
\nstill nurture a deep sense of nationalism. We do not wish to see
\nthis country's economy crash into pieces simply because of the
\ngreenback or because of what profiteers are doing at the expense
\nof our people. Or, perhaps, there is another solution. Who knows?<\/p>\n
Name and address<\/p>\n
known to the editor<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/governments-explanation-needed-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }