Duty free imports of lubricants

I am writing in response to the article "Lubricant producers against imports freedom" of Oct. 5. Many times, the Association of Indonesian Lubricant Producers, through its chairman A.P. Batubara, used the phrase "national interest".

This slogan has, by now, proven to be hollow and abused maybe as much as the tariff list from the customs' book. What has not been protected in the name of national interest?

If you look at the names of private companies in your article, again it is in the interest of those few which are in the hands of a few shareholders. God forbid that we may find out that they are, again, the "chosen ones" out of Soeharto's past, i.e. the high and mighty elite that are entangled in corruption, collusion and nepotism practices.

And they have made these companies for only one reason: to rake in profits for themselves, not for the nation.

And again, they abuse this infamous phrasing of "national interest", and may I only suggest that your reporters give a brief investigative and informative article to the public: How "inefficiently" these firms work (high costs? and with mark- ups?).

The new post-Soeharto standard is about what Prof. Sumitro Djojohadikusumo stressed four years ago: If a venture cannot make profit without protection, don't start it. As simple as that.

So, Batubara and friends should face this reality and stop irritating the already heavily stressed and burdened people of this country with silly phrasing.

The minister should be cold headed and rational, and eliminate all "high cost" elements in our life.

Y. SANTO

Jakarta