Quitting honorable task<\/p>\n
The startling if not shocking news was broken last weekend by
\nthe President himself. The Cabinet's Coordinating Minister for
\nPeople's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Hamzah Haz announced he
\nwould be more useful serving as chairman of his United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP). At least that was his official
\nexplanation. A former professor from Makassar University, Basri
\nHasanuddin, 70, was immediately available to replace him.<\/p>\n
How immature, almost childish (I'm sorry to say so) it was to
\nfirst accept a challenging and honorable position as a Cabinet
\nminister, and to declare under oath to abide by the duties and
\nhardship the position might entail, and then to resign after a
\nmonth of service for personal reasons. It would indeed be
\ndifferent if the minister had had to face a vote of no-confidence
\nin the House of Representatives and had been defeated or recalled
\nby his party. It is regrettable to say, but this is a serious
\ncrack of weakness in the management of the newly formed
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
To achieve its program, each and every member of Abdurrahman
\nWahid's administration must hence forward demonstrate his or her
\nunshakable determination to succeed. The Aceh problem and the
\ncall for greater regional autonomy or even the cry for separation
\nfrom Indonesia or for a unitary republic -- though it threatens
\nlike an iceberg -- will eventually die down if everybody becomes
\nmore reasonable. A state of Aceh, if it ever comes to
\nmaterialize, would have to rely on Indonesia's defense umbrella
\nagainst foreign threats, both militarily and economically.<\/p>\n
The ministers in charge of economic recovery are facing an
\nalmost impossible task to restructure the economic and financial
\nruins (just think of the banking sector) left behind as a legacy
\nby the former administrations in terms of foreign debts and
\nabuses of power. How can the ministers start the economic
\nrestructuring task when they are faced with such daunting
\ndilemmas and are vulnerable to sharp criticism.<\/p>\n
The sun in the sky may continue to shine brightly in years to
\ncome, but all of the Cabinet members must realize that time is
\nnot on their side. Also, there are still groupings in society who
\nare intent on making life for the administration difficult.
\nRemember that ordinary people are becoming impatient to obtain an
\nimprovement in their lives.<\/p>\n
GANDHI SUKARDI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/quitting-honorable-task-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }