Analysts urge nation to continue with reforms

Analysts urge nation to continue with reforms

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A party to celebrate the birth of the
democratically elected government of popular leaders Abdurrahman
Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri may have just started, but
analysts warned people on Friday not to get carried away
as rocky problems still lie ahead.

The recent election of Abdurrahman Wahid as president and
Megawati Soekarnoputri as vice president has brought a euphoric
sense of accomplishment to many corners of the nation.

The initial response was heartening as the rupiah strengthened
against the greenback on Friday morning and Megawati supporters
were dancing in the streets on Thursday night after running amok
a day earlier following her defeat in the presidential race.

But economic and political observer Revrisond Baswir of Gadjah
Mada University warned that "the people should not be easily
complacent".

He said Abdurrahman and Megawati must immediately set up a
cabinet to start sorting out the country's multidimensional
crisis.

"We must not sit back and fall asleep because we still have
daunting tasks ahead of us," Revrisond told a political
discussion here.

Analysts and politicians have called on the new government to
set up a "New Order free" cabinet.

"We hope that the new government will be able to immediately
set up a clean, professional and reform-minded cabinet to resolve
a number of serious problems that the country is facing," a group
of retired military generals, known as the National Front, said
in a statement on Friday.

Sources close to Abdurrahman said that the lineup of the new
cabinet would be announced in the next few days and it would
include representatives of major political parties.

Analysts also said new faces, that would include top aides of
Abdurrahman and Megawati, may be seen in a number of key posts
including the foreign and finance ministries.

Some members from the Golkar Party are also expected in return
for their support in the presidential election.

Meanwhile, Rubiyanto Misman of the General Soedirman
University in Purwokerto, Central Java, said that the biggest
piece of homework for the new president is to resolve
investigations into the alleged corruption by former president
Soeharto.

"Resolving corruption cases and reviving the economy must be
the top priorities of the new government," Rubiyanto said.
(05/23/byg)