Siswono warns against govt complacency<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Government officials should not indulge in self
\ncongratulatory practices over the impressive economic progress
\nIndonesia has been making, nor should they become allergic
\ntowards criticisms, a cabinet minister said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo, known for his
\ncriticism of fellow government officials, said in a speech that
\ndespite the progress Indonesia has made, officials should realize
\nthat the country is still one of the poorest in the world.<\/p>\n
"Officials should not become narcissistic, or beat their chest
\nin pride at their successes, or become `thin eared' towards
\ncriticism," Siswono said during a dialog on "Nationalism and
\nSustainable Development", organized by the Bina Swadaya
\nFoundation.<\/p>\n
Development, he said, is a "never ending process" and there
\nwill always be room for improvement.<\/p>\n
He said that, among the 18 countries that took part in last
\nyear's leadership meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic
\nCooperation forum in Bogor, near here, Indonesia still ranks the
\nsecond lowest in terms of per capita income, just slightly above
\nChina.<\/p>\n
Indonesia did not even rank among the 41 most competitive
\nnations in the world, he said, citing a survey by the
\nInternational Institute for Management.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's agricultural productivity is still low, although
\n60 percent of its people work in this sector, he said. He
\ncompared this with the United States, where, with only two
\npercent of its population working on farms, the country could
\nstill produce a huge exportable food surplus.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has been rated as one of the most corrupt nations by
\na German institution, and as a country "half free" in terms of
\nobservations of political and human rights, he noted.<\/p>\n
Siswono also lamented at his fellow government officials who
\ncould not take criticisms.<\/p>\n
"Criticism is needed for the perfection of every aspect of
\ndevelopment. We cannot neglect differences in principles and
\nopinions in a heterogeneous nation like Indonesia," he said.<\/p>\n
Government officials, he said, should realize that there must
\nbe hidden truths in other people's opinions.<\/p>\n
"Be a good loser. It is better to be a good loser than to be a
\nbad winner" he said, citing a popular phrase used by proponents
\nof democracy.<\/p>\n
Siswono, known for his strong nationalist sentiments, stated
\nin his paper that sustainable development is only possible in a
\ncountry with sound democratic practices.<\/p>\n
"Improving a country's quality of democracy is a never ending
\nprocess. No country in the world can claim that it is the most
\ndemocratic country," he said.<\/p>\n
He admitted that the quality of democracy is strongly
\ncorrelated to the people's welfare and educational background.<\/p>\n
"We have to understand the reason why democracy is still a
\ndifficult thing to attain here. Many Indonesians did not even
\nfinish elementary schools," he said.<\/p>\n
Siswono noted that the rapid economic development in Indonesia
\nhas created wider gaps between the wealthy and the poor members
\nof society, or greater disparity between one region and another.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that while several Indonesians have been
\nincluded in the list of the most wealthiest persons in the world,
\nsome of their fellow countrymen still do not know where their
\nnext meal will come from.<\/p>\n
The minister, who ran a successful real estate business before
\nhe was recruited into the cabinet by President Soeharto in 1988,
\nsaid Indonesia should address the wealth disparity problem head
\non.<\/p>\n
He said deregulating the economy would not lead to less
\ndisparity.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's discussion also featured Kartono Mohammad, a
\nphysician by training, and business consultant Christianto
\nWibisono, as speakers. (imn)<\/p>",
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