Earlier Disbandment of IBRA

When the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency was set up in early 1999, it was decided that it would exist for only five years. If all the agency's duties could be accomplished earlier, the agency, as its chief Syarifuddin A. Temenggung has said, will be disbanded a year earlier. Can we breathe a sigh of relief?

There should be no doubt in this matter. But, without intending to doubt the capability of all the existing IBRA personnel, it does not seem possible that the agency will be disbanded earlier than planned. Given the present burden of, among others, the assets sales and the shareholders' liability settlement, there will still be some other duties remaining. Relevant parties must think about who will take over these remaining duties.

In this case, whoever is responsible for the survival of IBRA and whoever is connected, whether directly or not, with the agency, should be careful. The agency can be disbanded any time as long as all the complicated problems are also completely resolved, or at least, it is clear who will take over these problems. Otherwise, it is only natural that there will be suspicion that the disbandment was only a way to cover things up, therefore making the people shoulder the burden, as has been the case so far.

-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta