Land compensation<\/p>\n
News about restless land owners in Tarumajaya village in
\nBekasi, near Jakarta, due to the very low land compensation of Rp
\n50 (US$0.023) per square meter, has touched us deeply.<\/p>\n
Once again we hear similar stories about incredibly low land
\ncompensation in Bekasi given to villagers who will later see that
\nluxurious buildings to the tune of millions of rupiah are
\nreplacing their houses.<\/p>\n
Many of these villagers have lodged their protests with the
\nHouse of Representatives and the Presidential Bina Graha office,
\nthough without much result.<\/p>\n
Many of these lands in Bekasi were rice fields which were
\nturned into private sector use under the pretext of usage
\nalteration for regional development and in defiance of the 1990
\nPresidential Decision No. 33 on land usage for industrial area
\npurposes.<\/p>\n
Farmers have been the principal losers in this practice. In
\nthe last five years, Bekasi has lost 7,000 hectares of paddy
\nfield that has been turned into either industrial areas or
\nhousing complexes. And it is believed that a total of 10,000
\nhectares of rice fields will face the same fate from 1993 to 1998
\nin Bekasi.<\/p>\n
This reckless pattern is being repeated in other parts of the
\ncountry, including on Batam island. But the fact that such a
\nthing could happen in a place only about 30 kilometers from
\nJakarta has forced us to contemplate such treatment.<\/p>\n
The explanations we have so far (such as demand outstripping
\nsupply or capitalism in its rawest form) are no longer
\nsatisfactory. All of these may be true but essentially it is
\nabout power--power that comes from the people and should be used
\nto serve the people, but has been used for personal gain.<\/p>\n
-- Kompas, Jakarta<\/p>\n
;JP;HPR;
\nANPAk..r..
\nOtherop2-Bosnia-US
\nThe U.S. stand on Mosnia
\nJP\/4\/Otherop2<\/p>\n
The U.S. stand on Bosnia<\/p>\n
President Clinton was right to resist earlier pressures to
\ncommit U.S. forces either to repel the Serbian aggressors or to
\nserve as neutral peacekeepers. But he is now right to agree in
\nprinciple to send substantial numbers of American troops should
\nNATO be called upon to cover the withdrawal of U.N. forces.<\/p>\n
First, however, Clinton must get congressional approval; and
\nCongress has an obligation to define strict time limits for any
\nU.S. involvement and to insist on force levels that provide
\nmaximum protection to American and allied troops.<\/p>\n
The U.N. has not yet decided to withdraw its soldiers, nor is
\nany nation about to withdraw unilaterally. The Clinton
\nadministration hoped its troop offer would encourage those
\ncountries that have been publicly contemplating withdrawal,
\nchiefly France, to stick it out a little longer. The initial
\nFrench reaction suggests that Washington has succeeded on that
\nscore.<\/p>\n
But in truth, the U.N. presence has been a mixed blessing,
\nhemmed in by its mandate of scrupulous neutrality. Recently the
\nlightly armed U.N. forces have not even been able to protect
\nthemselves. In past weeks Serbian units have taken 300 of the
\nblue helmets hostage, to use as pawns.<\/p>\n
Under these circumstances, the United Nations and several
\ncountries with troops on the ground have asked NATO to draw up
\nplans to provide military cover for their withdrawal. NATO, which
\nacts only by consensus, could decline. But the majority of the
\n23,000 U.N. troops at risk come from France, Britain and seven
\nother NATO countries.<\/p>\n
For the U.S. to veto or stand aside from a NATO relief
\noperation could inflict a mortal blow to the troubled alliance,
\nstill a key element of U.S. global security strategy. At the
\nheart of NATO is a U.S. commitment to defend its European Allies.
\nMoreover, abandoning the surrounded troops would cripple the
\nU.N.'s ability to deploy troops in situations where the U.S.
\nmight otherwise have to be involved.<\/p>\n
Bosnia's warring armies say they would not harass withdrawing
\nU.N. troops. But the Bosnian Serbs' promise is unreliable.
\nSerbian troops surround U.N. forces in many areas and withdrawal
\ncould be a difficult operation. Before Clinton commits U.S.
\ntroops to such a risky mission, the Constitution and political
\nsense oblige him to secure congressional support.<\/p>\n
Republicans will reasonably insist that a withdrawal operation
\nbe under direct NATO command, unlike recent bombing operations
\nthat were under joint U.N.-NATO control. They would also do well
\nto hold the administration to its word that any NATO intervention
\nwill employ overwhelming military force to deter potential
\nproblems from any Bosnian faction.<\/p>\n
Since the U.S. is prepared to supply as many as 25,000 troops
\nout of a NATO total of 50,000, Washington will have a chance to
\ninfluence strategic planning. Bosnia's tragedy has brought no
\nglory to anyone. But it need not end in the further disaster of
\nU.N. military catastrophe and the breakdown of NATO if Clinton
\nand Congress plan together.<\/p>\n
-- The New York Times<\/p>\n
;JP;HBK;
\nANPAk..r..
\nOtherop3-China--inflation
\nJP\/4\/otherop3<\/p>\n
China's jitters over inflation<\/p>\n
At an annual rate of over 20 percent, China's inflation is the
\nnightmare of any economic planner. Add to it the memory of the
\n1989 Tiananmen blood-shed, which was sparked partly by the
\nrampant price increases at that time, and one could understand
\nwhy the Chinese Communist Party is jittery about the current
\nsituation.<\/p>\n
It warned last Tuesday that, unless drastic measures were
\ntaken to moderate the inflationary pressure, the country would
\nsoon be swamped, not only by economic chaos but also by social
\nand political unrest. Implicit in the warning was an attack on
\nthe People's Bank of China, the central bank.<\/p>\n
The bank, while agreeing that inflation needs to be contained,
\nhas argued that a certain amount of price increase is necessary
\nfor the continued growth of the economy. But it is not just the
\nbroad policy philosophy that is causing a rift here. Also in
\ndispute is the specific policy instrument being used to fight
\ninflation.<\/p>\n
Unlike the central bank, which favors a rise in interest
\nrates, the Chinese Communist Party has asked for price control to
\nbe imposed. Economists have long recognized the limitations of
\nprice control as an anti-inflation tool. Yet, it is a measure
\nthat will extract the least political cost in the short run,
\nwhich explains its popularity among politicians.<\/p>\n
If, however, the root cause of China's inflation problem lies
\nin its loose credit policy as many have suggested, then a
\ntightening of interest rates will seem more appropriate. But it
\nwill be simplistic to suggest that a general interest rate
\ntightening is all that is required.<\/p>\n
At the end of the day, inflation is but one of the many
\nproblems confronting China in its transition from a centrally-
\nplanned economy to a free market system. All of them are
\nintertwined, and none could be resolved without extracting a
\nprice on other fronts.<\/p>\n
A more stringent allocation of funds, for example, will add to
\nthe debt payment of many loss-making state-owned enterprises, and
\nwith it, the unemployment rate. Yet, unpleasant policies are
\nunavoidable in such a mammoth endeavor. The sooner the Chinese
\ngovernment takes the bull by the horns, the more gradual, and the
\nless painful, the adjustment process will be.<\/p>\n
-- The Straits Times, Singapore<\/p>\n
;JP;HBK;
\nANPAk..r..
\nOtherop4-trade
\nTime is right for WTO
\nJP\/4\/otherop4<\/p>\n
Time is right for WTO<\/p>\n
The decision to start up the World Trade Organization on Jan.
\n1, 1995, is indeed the best way to begin the new year. The World
\nTrade Organization will stand alongside the International
\nMonetary Fund and the World Bank as the third pillar of a new
\nworld economic order.<\/p>\n
A total of 145 countries have expressed interest in being part
\nof the new body and so far, just over 40 countries have ratified
\nthe treaty, which will prize open markets for services, textiles
\nand farm produce.<\/p>\n
It is hoped that China will be able to reach an agreement with
\nthe United States on the terms for its entry before the end of
\nthe year. Although this may appear to be a daunting task, with
\nthe true spirit of free trade and political courage, a solution
\ncan be reached.<\/p>\n
-- Berita Harian, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/land-compensation-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }