Let the rich help out now<\/p>\n
From Merdeka<\/p>\n
U.S. dollar owners, people who follow the rate of exchange
\nbetween the dollar against the rupiah, and the government are
\neager every day to know the latest rupiah\/dollar exchange rate.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has set the official exchange rate
\nat Rp 4,000 per dollar, but in reality the exchange rate is over
\nRp 8,000 per dollar.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto's appeal to Indonesians to have faith in
\nthe rupiah has not been heeded by dollar lovers.<\/p>\n
But rural people still fully respect the rupiah, and in fact
\nthey may never get hold of any dollars. Most of them even live
\nhard lives.<\/p>\n
Monetary crises have also hit our neighbors -- Thailand,
\nMalaysia, Singapore and South Korea. Their currencies have also
\nfallen against the U.S. dollar. And Thais and South Koreans
\ncalled for their governments to resign, and now have new
\ngovernments.<\/p>\n
South Korea's new President Kim Dae-jung (formerly a prominent
\nopposition figure) has taken a brave political step by appointing
\nGeorge Soros as an informal monetary advisor.<\/p>\n
In efforts to solve Indonesia's monetary crisis, besides
\nchalking out economic and political reforms, President Soeharto
\ncould appeal to conglomerates and the new rich to join hands to
\novercome the crisis. They should not only withdraw any money they
\nhave saved in foreign countries, but their consciences should
\nprompt them to lend money to the government in the form of soft
\nloans.<\/p>\n
This is only fair because most have become rich due to
\nfacilities given to them by the government, or through collusion
\nor manipulation.<\/p>\n
The present crisis cannot be solved through economic and
\nmonetary actions only, we also need to conduct political reform.<\/p>\n
By the latter we mean that the government needs to make
\npersonnel reforms in both central and provincial institutions
\nfirst. Reforms should be thorough not just a form of cosmetic
\nsurgery.<\/p>\n
MARSOESI<\/p>\n
Surabaya, East Java<\/p>\n
;;
\nANPAk..r..
\nLetter-crisis-TV-influence
\nTV report sparks panic, hardship
\nJP\/4\/let4<\/p>\n
TV report sparks panic, hardship<\/p>\n
From Republika<\/p>\n
A private television station aired on Jan. 8 a scene showing
\ncustomers in Jakarta jostling each other to buy canned milk
\npowder. The store owner was forced to limit purchases to three
\ncans of milk powder per customer.<\/p>\n
Watching this, my wife became very worried. We have five small
\nchildren who still drink milk of a certain brand. She instructed
\nme to go to the market to buy a few cans of milk, for fear that
\nit would be sold out, as it was in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
That evening I hurried to the store hoping there was still
\nmilk left and that the stores would still be open. Luckily the
\nstore where we usually go was open and there were still many
\ncustomers about. I grabbed some milk powder and had the usual Rp.
\n9,500 per can ready to pay only to be struck dumb to hear that
\nthe price of a can of milk powder had been increased to Rp
\n16,500. Apparently the store's owner had watched the same TV
\nbroadcast which showed the panic in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
To my disappointment I was only able to buy two cans of milk.
\nBecause of this my children have to drink less milk than usual,
\nwith the risk that their health may deteriorate. My wife and I
\nalso have had to adjust the pattern of our food consumption
\naccordingly.<\/p>\n
I don't mean to be dramatic, but I have a hard time ahead of
\nme because I have been laid off from my job for unclear reasons.
\nMaybe the crisis has forced the company to reduce its number of
\nemployees.<\/p>\n
Only the rich can afford to buy sufficient daily necessities
\nnow.<\/p>\n
It is obvious that TV broadcasts can influence the behavior of
\nindividuals in society. I therefore appeal to the Information
\nMinister to supervise negative TV broadcasts so as not to worsen
\nthe prevailing economic and monetary crisis.<\/p>\n
Rich and poor alike in cities and in villages should make a
\nconcerted effort to overcome the economic turmoil.<\/p>\n
H. AHMAD HUMAIDI<\/p>\n
Palembang, South Sumatra<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/let-the-rich-help-out-now-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }