Market versus government<\/p>\n
At a time when some political party members are fighting for
\npositions and when some legislators are appealing that their
\nSpeaker Akbar Tandjung step down from his position, their
\nconstituents are facing price increases and scarcity of essential
\nneeds. All this shows the poor performance of the government and
\nalso the isolation of political affairs at the institutional
\nlevel from the sufferings of the people, who were promised in the
\nlast general elections that their lot would be improved.<\/p>\n
The steep rise in the prices of rice for the past week causes
\ngreat alarm. One trigger is the harvest failures in several
\nproduction centers. Another is the hike of electricity and
\ntelephone rates, soon to be followed by fuel prices.<\/p>\n
The actual market situation seems to display a mismatch with
\nwhat the government thinks and does. It is controlled by traders
\nwho look for profits and it contains speculators as well. This is
\nevident with the price rise of daily necessities. In some areas
\nthe kerosene price has gone up by 50 percent to 70 percent. This
\ncommodity is scarce due to its muddled distribution. Today the
\nprice and availability of kerosene has become a complicated
\nproblem, adding difficulties to people's lives.<\/p>\n
The market and its players always respond to information with
\nhigh speed. Their deftness and astuteness is only heightened with
\ncurrent uncertainties while the government seems to be at a loss
\nto find ways to improve the situation. Facing a market with such
\ncharacteristics, nobody can win, not even the government, which
\nis in a constant nervous state.<\/p>\n
-- Ekonomi Neraca, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/market-versus-government-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }