A problem-laden government

A problem-laden government

From Koran Tempo

Presidential election campaigns are underway through the mass media, as well as regional tours in order to secure public support and sympathy. Will there be any change for the better?

The government has so far adopted policies that accommodate capital holders, leaving ordinary people in misery. The model of leadership has produced individuals who are inclined to become authoritarian, hypocritical, greedy and insensitive to public demand.

The change of national leadership from Sukarno to Soeharto, BJ Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri has witnessed confusion among politicians, abuse of power, and practices of corruption and collusion between entrepreneurs and the authorities.

Control over large-scale business activities involving public and private funds, like banking operation, has been neglected. Law enforcement has been unfair and the government has been put under foreign pressure.

Policies in the public sector have not sided with the population, as indicated by ever-rising fuel prices, school fees, telephone subscriptions and tax rates. Consequently, poverty and unemployment increase and resource-rich regions tend to separate.

Meanwhile, government attention to areas affected by floods, earthquakes and landslides is slim. Communal conflicts in some regions have not yet been thoroughly settled. And is it capable of resolving the issue of female migrant workers?

HANA HAZA NAFISAH Bogor, West Java