Back to work

First of all, Indonesians should be thankful to the students who successfully led the proreform movement. Without their vigilant efforts and sacrifices, none of these massive and rapid changes that we are seeing would have been possible.

Now that the movement has achieved initial success, the students must stop occupying the House of Representatives compound. Instead, they must return to their campuses to help the reform process in a concrete way by submitting their views, opinions and suggestions, not euphorically through a "people's rally" at and in the vicinity of the House, but more effectively through a carefully prepared process submitted to both the executive and legislative branches of the government.

Remember the well-known saying, "Quit while you're ahead". In the wake of Soeharto's resignation, some students said they were still not satisfied and that they would continue to protest until total reform was achieved. This should perhaps be discouraged. One must acknowledge that total reform takes time to implement.

As a young professional working in the private sector, I have spent a good part of my time at home in fear of continuing unrest. Most of my colleagues fled the country or have stayed at home for the last two weeks or so. I also know very well that some of them are not coming back. Some businesses are closing down or substantially scaling down their operations. This will aggravate the already battered Indonesian economy.

Before the recent unrest, economists predicted that the Indonesian economy would have a growth of minus 4 percent this year. Now we need to take stock; how much more negatively will Indonesia's economy be affected this year because of the direct and indirect impacts of the recent riots?

I do not know when or whether the ethnic Chinese businesspeople and expatriates will come back here. Skeptics already doubt whether foreign investment will be forthcoming at all after the abrupt exodus. But I know for certain that it will be a struggle and uphill battle for all of us to rebuild this country's economy.

It is certainly hoped that we can stop arguing about whether or not the transfer of leadership is constitutional. We should give the new president a fair chance to lead the country and prove that:

1. He can pick ministers that are professionals with good track records, integrity and ethics/morals;

2. He can avoid favoritism and maintain open mindedness; and

3. He can provide gradual economic stability through consistent implementation of the economic reform process.

World leaders have praised the peaceful and fast changes in the Indonesian political landscape. Now to adhere to their suggestions to immediately restore confidence in Indonesian politics and the economy, you can promote calm while actively involving yourselves in the reform process by providing a better image, stability-wise. This will be very important so that we can go back to work and help the economy get back on its feet.

Thank you students for a job well done.

SANDIAGA SALAHUDDIN

Jakarta