An appeal to the IMF

Indonesia's economic condition has reached a most precarious point. The sorry state of our economy is reflected in the inadequacy of our foreign exchange reserves and in the disarray that exists in our services, production, investment and distribution sectors. Our national food stocks will only last a few more months.

Clearly, such dire conditions call for the greatest care in what we say and do. One wrong step, however small, may jeopardize the disbursement of aid. Still fresh in our minds is how, on May 4, the International Monetary Fund withheld the aid it had agreed to disburse after riots broke out, first in Medan and then in Jakarta.

In terms of size, the IMF aid package is not all that significant. However, the message conveyed by an IMF agreement to extend aid is of great importance to investors, international financial institutions and other countries. An IMF agreement to provide aid will be followed by others.

We call on the IMF to disburse its aid so that our people may be spared more suffering.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta