All cats catch rats

I strongly commend the comments of Sia Ka-Mou of Jakarta in his letter, On China's reform (The Jakarta Post, June 21, 2001).

Since Deng Xiao Ping's 1987 Open Door Policy, China has experienced a fundamental revolution in both the theory and practice of commerce. What Deng coined "Mind Liberation" was a sensitive and successful re-evaluation of over 2,000 years of Confucian values, meshed with the challenge of global engagement. But on China's terms, the "Open Door" reforms perfectly complimented the entrepreneurial spirit of many ordinary Chinese, while reinforcing equal-result-oriented decision-making and the social value of communalism.

The most important thing, however, was that reforms were "Capitalism with a Chinese face". It was a case of China making a domestic political decision to deliberately choose the most appropriate aspects of the free market for the benefit of the greatest number of its citizens, urbanites and farmers alike, not the free market dictating the terms to China.

The Indonesian government would be well advised to follow Deng in its particular search for a uniquely Indonesian economic system -- not necessarily the exact model forced on it by the IMF. For instance, in the 100th anniversary year of Sukarno's birth it might be time to re-examine the practical appropriateness of Marhaenism.

Sia Ka-Mou quoted Deng Xiaoping as saying that "socialism is not about poverty and poverty is not socialism, and to get rich is glorious". Likewise, I would like to quote Deng as saying, "Black cat, white cat, what does it matter if it catches rats?". As China has demonstrated, it is the outcome, not the dogma or the rhetoric, that counts.

ROB GOODFELLOW

Jakarta