Creating employment

Creating employment opportunities

From Suara Karya

As Indonesia struggles to emerge from economic crisis, unemployment has reached alarming levels. On Jan. 28, 2002, as many as 50 million Indonesians were unemployed.

As job opportunities become more difficult to find, the ASEAN Free Trade Area will soon begin. This means that Indonesians must compete with foreigners in the labor market. If we fail in this competition, we will degenerate into a nation of servants.

The people need jobs, but we cannot expect the government to do much about this as it is too busy with its own problems.

Let all healthy and able-bodied people aged 16 years and over work together, regardless of sex, religion and ethnicity, to tap the potential in the regions where they live and open up fresh employment opportunities through their own initiative.

ANDI MASNIATTI Bulukumba, South Sulawesi