RI braces for millennium bug<\/p>\n
It will be 293 days into the year 2000 when information-
\ntechnology (IT) systems worldwide in many critical areas like
\nbusiness, government, education, and industry may crash --
\nputting the organizations they support on hold, at best, or out
\nof business, at worst -- unless they manage to solve the so-
\ncalled millennium bug, or damage caused by non-compliance of
\ncomputers and microprocessors in embedded electronic systems to
\nthe Year 2000 Problem (Y2K). The Jakarta Post's Reiner S.,
\nJohannes Simbolon, Primastuti Handayani, Cornelius Purba, Ida
\nIndawati Khouw, Wachyudi Soeriaatmadja, and photographer IGGP
\nBayu Ismoyo examine how and what Indonesia is doing to solve the
\nY2K issue.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Predictions about what will happen come 12:00:01
\na.m. Saturday, Jan. 1, 2000, range from an end of civilization to
\nnot much at all.<\/p>\n
Doomsayers foresee a breakdown of economic and financial
\nmarkets. Malfunctioning computers, they believe will erase vast
\nsums of wealth from individual bank and brokerage accounts,
\ncausing bankruptcies and depression and, ultimately, leading to
\ncivil unrest.<\/p>\n
Telecommunications systems will be knocked out and power grids
\nwill go off, making it difficult for governments to cope with
\nemergencies. The pessimists advise stockpiling food, water, and
\nlogistics in remote mountain and desert hideaways.<\/p>\n
The less alarmist, on the other hand, say that Jan. 1, 2000,
\nwill be just another day that will come in with a yawn, not a
\nglobal disaster. They believe that the whole Y2K issue is nothing
\nmore than a giant hoax by IT vendors pitched to hysterical levels
\nto raise revenues. But they do admit that Y2K poses a serious
\nproblem for many business computer systems -- the systems will
\nnot fail but will start spouting out incorrect date-related data.<\/p>\n
Oracle technologies manager Hasnur Ramadhan in Jakarta says:
\n\"The truth is that no one can really know exactly what will
\nhappen as we enter the turn of the century.\"<\/p>\n
\"It's a better to have a safe than sorry philosophy, even if
\nwe in Indonesia are less computerized than in the U.S.,\" adds
\nOracle Sales director Tony Chen.<\/p>\n
So how is Indonesia doing so far in handling the Y2K issue?<\/p>\n
\"Frankly speaking, we're already late. But there are things
\nthat we can still do,\" says Ichyar Musa, head of the national Y2K
\nawareness division, a unit of the government task force in
\nhandling the Y2k issue, which is chaired by Minister of
\nCommunications Giri Suseno Hadihardjono.<\/p>\n
He explains that the task force is now focusing on solving the
\nY2K problem in top priority sectors and at the same time
\npreparing contingency plans on how to deal in emergency
\nsituation.<\/p>\n
\"There's no more time for arguing. We have to start now with
\ncontingency plans,\" he adds.<\/p>\n
He expects all industries and public utilities to be ready
\nwith their contingency plans by October.<\/p>\n
\"We have to be prepared for the fact that there will be a
\ndeterioration in the telecommunications service. The basic
\nservice may still be running but sophisticated data
\ncommunications service may be at risk,\" he points out.<\/p>\n
\"It's also advisable for banks to print all accounts to
\nprevent disputes,\" he adds.<\/p>\n
Ichyar believes that although the authority has yet to
\nannounce the Y2K status of the country's airlines, they will
\nsolve the problem on time because of the industry's high security
\nand safety requirements.<\/p>\n
\"One thing that concerns me is the air traffic control system
\nat airports. If we fail, no airlines will land here. Jakarta will
\nbe a black spot. It's all about losing a reputation,\" he says.<\/p>\n
In addition to the above industries, the task force has put
\npriority on the financial sector, pharmacy and hospital sector,
\nenergy, water and gas, the fertilizer industry, defense and
\nsecurity, and the government sector.<\/p>\n
\"We put the government sector last on our list because we have
\nprioritized public utilities,\" Ichyar says.<\/p>\n
\"You can imagine what will happen if the banking industry is
\nY2K-ready but the telecommunications and electricity facilities
\nare not,\" he points out.<\/p>\n
He explains that the most difficult aspect to tackle in
\nrelation to the banking sector was not the concern of a failure
\nin providing services but how to assure the public that the
\nindustry can solve the Y2K issue.<\/p>\n
\"This non-technical problem has to be dealt with or else we
\nmay face a massive run on the banks,\" he says.<\/p>\n
He says that the central bank would start due diligence of the
\nY2K readiness of the country's commercial banks in late April
\nwhen the recapitalization program has been completed.<\/p>\n
\"From there Bank Indonesia will take the necessary measures,\"
\nhe adds.<\/p>\n
\"I expect the public not to panic. Y2K is a problem and we're
\ndoing something about it,\" he says.<\/p>\n
\"But the government must also be resolute. We must have a
\ncontingency plan. The government must also gain public trust in
\nwhat it's saying. Speak honestly and frankly,\" he says.<\/p>\n
The U.S.-based Gartner Group, a Y2K-compliance monitoring
\nbody, said in a recent report that Indonesia was among some 30
\ndeveloping nations which have the highest risk to Y2K with some
\n66 percent of business possibly affected.<\/p>\n
Tranggono I.S. Turner, an IT expert at the STIMIK Perbanas
\ncomputer institute, attributes this to the low awareness among
\nboth the political leaders and top level management in industries
\nconcerning the Y2K issue.<\/p>\n
\"The country's economic and political crisis has also become a
\nfactor in causing slowness in dealing with the problem,\" he says.<\/p>\n
Husein Samy, general manager for systems, software and
\nsolutions at USI\/IBM, concurs that convincing top level people to
\nprovide budgets for dealing with Y2K is difficult.<\/p>\n
\"I have been asked many times to convince top level management
\nthat Y2K is a serious problem but I often fail,\" he says.<\/p>\n
Ichyar says that many business leaders tend to be reluctant in
\ndealing with the Y2K issue because it is regarded as spending
\nwithout creating added value.<\/p>\n
Hermawan Tendean, an IT expert at Bank BCA, says that this is
\na pity because time is essential in coming up with an efficient
\nand effective solution to a company's Y2K problem.<\/p>\n
BCA is among the country's limited companies which have
\nannounced Y2K readiness.<\/p>\n
\"Without enough time, money and other resources would not mean
\nmuch in dealing with Y2K,\" Hermawan says.<\/p>\n
He explains that the awareness building measure in BCA's top
\nlevel management was started in 1996 and they gave the green
\nlight to go ahead with dealing with Y2K at the end of the year.<\/p>\n
\"The top management appointed a team leader who could say no
\nto non-priority spending in order to save resources,\" he says,
\nadding that the budget for Y2K at the bank was around $2 million.<\/p>\n
Among the country's top political leaders there also seems no
\nsense of urgency in dealing with the Y2K issue.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung just smiled when asked
\nabout the issue. \"Your question is strange,\" he told the Jakarta
\nPost in response, before attending a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
\nOther ministers were similarly indifferent.<\/p>\n
Only Minister of Communications Giri Suseno responded to
\nquestions. \"We have finished collating all matters related to the
\nmillennium bug and I will convey my report to the President in
\nthis meeting,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
He said that state companies like national flag carrier PT
\nGaruda Indonesia, airport management PT Angkasa Pura, and port
\noperator PT Pelindo have already made all the necessary
\npreparations to solve the problem.<\/p>\n
\"The problems will be solved correctly and in a timely
\nfashion,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Can that really happen without strong political will
\nparticularly as the country is suffering from its worst economic
\ncrisis in three decades and facing a general election that may
\nturn chaotic?<\/p>\n
\"I think the criteria for the next President must include
\nknowledge and commitment to solving the Y2K problem,\" says
\nIchyar.<\/p>\n
Another obstacle to solving the problem is the huge capital
\noutlay needed.<\/p>\n
\"We're still preparing a proposal to ask for aid from the
\nWorld Bank and other multilateral and bilateral institutions,\"
\nIchyar says.<\/p>\n
A government source says that the World Bank was particularly
\nconcerned to help finance the country's Y2k solution measures or
\nits multi-billion dollar projects here might turn into complete
\nfailures as well. (team)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-braces-for-millennium-bug-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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