Honesty, silliness and the system<\/p>\n
Despite some progress being made, the continuation of making
\ndishonest and silly policies by Habibie's government will extend
\nand worsen the people's suffering during this multidimensional
\ncrisis that will probably provoke more riots in the near future.
\nMany statements which have confused the people have been made
\nsince Soeharto was still in power, and in the midst of this
\nuncertainty, have caused a lack of confidence in the government
\non the part of the people.<\/p>\n
In his recent interview with the Washington Post, President
\nB.J. Habibie said the country's economy would survive even if
\nethnic Chinese entrepreneurs did not return to Indonesia because
\ntheir role would be filled by other Indonesians. This statement
\nshowed a boasting, irresponsible and unwise attitude. As a
\nPresident, he should be responsible for the reasons why they fled
\ntheir own country. My interpretation to the statement is that we
\ndon't care what we have done even if it means sacrificing lives
\nfor political purposes that abused human rights.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung, prior to his election
\nas Golkar chairman, stated that if he won the chairmanship, he
\nwas willing to resign as minister of state. But after Golkar
\nelected him, he did not relinquish his ministerial post but
\ninstead proposed appointing a state secretary deputy. His
\ndecision not to resign but hire a deputy, will increase the
\ngovernment's expenses and possibly create conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Food and Agriculture A.M. Saefuddin was
\nquoted by Media Indonesia daily as saying he could tolerate
\nlooters if they did it only to satisfy their hunger. Even though
\nhe denied the report, claiming his remarks on looting were taken
\nout of context by the reporter, people would have in mind that
\nthe minister should exercise thought in making statements.<\/p>\n
Regarding press freedom, other controversial issues have been
\nmade. The press no longer needs a license to operate but
\njournalists must have a license, which is valid for a limited
\ntime. If the journalist is deemed unqualified, his license could
\nbe revoked. In implementing this new regulation, the government
\nwill, again, have control over the press, creating a 50-year
\nsetback for freedom of the press.<\/p>\n
Our nation needs a people and a government that can work
\ntogether to overcome this crisis. The people won't support the
\ngovernment if corruption, collusion and nepotism are still
\npracticed. In the Reform Cabinet's first three months of work,
\nnot a single minister came out with transparency, only dishonest
\nand silly statements, as Soeharto's regime had in the past.<\/p>\n
PARLINDUNGAN SIBARANI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/honesty-silliness-and-the-system-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }