Back to work

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