Can we challenge ourselves?

Can we challenge ourselves?

It is not only PT Astra International president director, TP
Rachmat, who admires developments in such countries as India and
China. We also see how all people compete for development. They
succeed through hard work and discipline.

TP Rachmat spoke about choices made by countries like India
and China, that the two countries have decided to focus on the
development of software and hardware, respectively. The result is
that India has emerged as the world's leading software producer
and China as a manufacturer of low-priced hardware products.

What about us? Given the fact that Indonesia has been facing
different problems these past five years, the condition is
actually not too bad as we still have abundant natural wealth and
a friendly climate.

Many experts say if this country were not Indonesia, it would
have long ago collapsed. It has gradually awakened from the
crisis and made progress these past two years. TP Rachmat pointed
out that this year, his company had been able to increase its
sale of motorcycles by 100 percent. He said his company's car
sales had already exceeded the figures before the onset of the
crisis in 1997.

So long as we are able to make our own challenges, we are
expected to have the spirit to make successes in the future,
similar to what other countries have done.

-- Kompas, Jakarta