Moerdiono says no new economic polices<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government is not planning to issue any new
\npolicies in the near future despite the continuing fall of the
\nrupiah.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono said yesterday that it is
\nmore important to remain vigilant and make a concerted national
\neffort to pull the country out of its current economic woes.<\/p>\n
\"We aren't looking or thinking of issuing new policies in the
\neconomic sector in the near future,\" Moerdiono told reporters
\nafter addressing a seminar on Economic Reforms and the Prospects
\nfor the Business Sector in 1998.<\/p>\n
The government last announced a significant policy change when
\nit issued a set of economic reforms in November following the
\ndecision to seek monetary assistance from the International
\nMonetary Fund (IMF) due to the declining value of the rupiah
\nagainst the U.S. dollar.<\/p>\n
During his address, Moerdiono admitted that tough times were
\nahead. He said the long dry season and the demands of Christmas,
\nNew Year and the Moslem fasting month Ramadhan which fell in
\nsuccession helped exasperate the situation further.<\/p>\n
\"Several companies have even asked permission to dismiss their
\nworkers,\" he said referring to the dire economic situation.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono said the government would continue to solicit and
\nlisten to suggestions from all parties to resolve the economic
\nturmoil.<\/p>\n
He even went so far as to say that the government \"should not
\ndiscount the possibility of error, weakness or even neglect in
\nformulating policies\".<\/p>\n
\"We should never hesitate to be flexible in judging an issue
\nor formulating steps we have to take in the coming years,\" he
\nsaid. \"In the end, we are only human.\"<\/p>\n
But Moerdiono was quick to point out that many factors were
\nbeyond the realm of the government and therefore public
\nparticipation, particularly in the business sector, is essential.<\/p>\n
According to Moerdiono, among the fundamental challenges
\nfacing the nation are workers' wages and bureaucratic
\ninefficiencies.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono said demands for increased wages was something the
\ncountry could not avoid.<\/p>\n
\"It's quite clear that it would be inappropriate if we relied
\non low workers' wages as a basis for the competitiveness of our
\nexport commodities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"We have to believe that only a prosperous worker, with high
\nexpertise, skills and creativity, can be the mainstay of our
\ncompetitive edge.\"<\/p>\n
Turning his attention to the bureaucracy, Moerdiono said that
\nPresident Soeharto has pointed to \"the role of an inefficient
\ngovernment bureaucracy in contributing to a high cost economy\".<\/p>\n
\"I believe this has long been a concern among us,\" he said
\nwarning that \"inefficiency stemming from government bureaucracy
\ncan lessen our competitiveness in international trade.\"<\/p>\n
Moerdiono said it could take up to two years before the
\nsituation bounces back, and much of it depends on the people's
\nconfidence in the economy.<\/p>\n
\"I want to stress the importance of trust. We need to unite,
\nboth the government and the private sector, to restore public
\ntrust,\" the state minister said.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, Central Java, the assistant to the minister of
\nnational development planning Mubyarto said the government must
\nshow it is on the side of wong cilik, the common people.<\/p>\n
Mubyarto, in charge of poverty eradication, said in the
\ncurrent economic crisis the government must not remain neutral
\nbut show that it is siding with those on the lower economic
\nstrata.<\/p>\n
He argued that there was still an apparent lack of readiness
\nby many government officials to help empower the people from the
\nlower class. (prb\/har\/mds)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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