Becoming paranoid

The Exxon-Mobil decision to halt operations in Arun, Aceh, illustrates the dim prospect of this country's economic recovery process. Since Exxon-Mobil decided to cease operations, the supply to nearby factories such as PT ASEAN Aceh Fertilizer, PT Pupuk Iskandar Muda (PT PIM fertilizer) and PT Kertas Kraft Aceh (paper mill) has been disrupted. PT PIM has even been forced to temporary stop production.

It is ironic that at a time when the country is in a condition where the state budget is in danger of being jeopardized, there are still people who believe that this development is politically motivated.

We have become a sick nation. Suspicion runs high and is making us paranoid. This leads us to fall into the trap of making careless presumptions, which in turn makes it impossible for us to solve the essence of our problems.

At the core of these problems is our inability to establish security. For businesspeople, though, security -- especially in production centers -- is a vital precondition for guaranteeing the continuity of their operations. After all, what is the point of doing business if one's life is put at stake?

-- Kompas, Jakarta