The fake money menace<\/p>\n
With hordes of problems still plaguing the Indonesian economy
\nand no speedy solutions in sight, reports over the past week of
\nthe seizure of billions of rupiah worth of counterfeit money
\nalone make one wonder: Considering the state of disorder that
\nexists in many, if not most, of the state apparatuses, will the
\nauthorities be able to put things in order in not too long a time
\nspan?<\/p>\n
Far from immaterial, such a question is particularly relevant.
\nAs life hasn't tangibly improved for vast majority of
\nIndonesians, the country can hardly afford to have counterfeiters
\nadd inflation to the already overburdened Indonesian economy.<\/p>\n
According to the country's central bank, Bank Indonesia, about
\nRp 4.44 billion of fake rupiah notes were circulating in 1997, Rp
\n6.16 billion in 1998 and Rp 6.27 billion in the first 11 months
\nof 1999. While this amounts to only a small percentage of the
\nvalue of the counterfeit rupiah that were confiscated during the
\nsame period, the knowledge that counterfeiters have been
\noperating -- and may still be operating -- their clandestine
\ntrade with relative ease does not help to allay the public's
\nfears that, sooner or later, the market will be flooded with fake
\nmoney, with all the consequences that may bring.<\/p>\n
To the public at large, it is no great consolation to hear
\nBank Indonesia's director of circulation control H.Y. Susmanto
\nexplain that only older rupiah bills, usually of smaller
\ndenominations, have become dated enough in terms of printing
\ntechnology to be successfully faked by counterfeiters. Rupiah
\nbills in larger denominations -- such as Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000
\nare printed using up-to-date technology that make them difficult
\nto fake convincingly.<\/p>\n
Still, police detectives in East Jakarta apprehended nine men
\nlast week in possession of fake Rp 50,000 bills worth a total of
\nRp 100 million. In the hillside resort town of Cisarua, southeast
\nof Jakarta, Bogor Police officers seized Rp 1.87 billion in
\ncounterfeit notes in the same denomination.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, little has been heard in the way of official
\nexplanation of what the authorities have been doing about the
\ncounterfeiting of foreign currencies, especially the U.S. dollar.
\nLast week, customs and excise officials at Soekarno-Hatta
\nInternational Airport were reported to have confiscated $16,000
\nworth of fake American dollar notes and arrested two men in
\nconnection with the find.<\/p>\n
Under Indonesian law, anyone found guilty of counterfeiting
\nrupiah banknotes faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
\nGiven the apparent proliferation of counterfeiting, and
\nconsidering the grave condition of the Indonesian economy, it
\nseems to be time that the government together with the House of
\nRepresentatives consider passing a new law to deter
\ncounterfeiters.<\/p>\n
The successful establishment of political stability in
\nIndonesia depends a great deal on the successful revival of the
\ncountry's economy. Without stability, effective development and
\nprogress, both economic and political, will remain a dream. To
\nsome degree at least, the circulation of counterfeit money puts a
\nspoke in the wheel of the country's progress.<\/p>\n
No one denies that the difficulties the Indonesian national
\npolice have to face at present are formidable. After decades of
\nbeing a part of the military, not only must the Indonesian police
\nforce begin to reorganize itself into an effective force to
\nprotect the people, it must make do so with inadequate personnel
\nand equipment. Nevertheless, the job must be done. It is not an
\neasy task, but its results will be worth the effort -- for both
\nthe police and the nation.<\/p>",
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