A wise and rational leader

Indonesia's efforts to emerge from its multidimensional crisis seem to have run into some difficulties, unlike those of South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Why?

This is due to Indonesia's political instability and weak leadership amid its poor economic situation. As a result, many Indonesian and foreign businessmen have expressed concern over the liberalization of regional trade (AFTA) in 2003.

Besides the leadership issue, many complex problems in the Cabinet have been left unsettled, including the profiling of banks and privatization of state enterprises, prompting some investors to move their investments to China, Vietnam and Malaysia.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri should focus on a wise and rational leadership based on the nation's way of life in its transition into a new economic order with an international orientation. -- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta