Entering a new phase

Entering a new phase

Relations between the Indonesian government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have entered a new phase. After having been frozen since last Sept. 15, ties between the two were restored on Tuesday. The IMF suspended disbursement of aid on the consideration that the Indonesian government was not serious enough in its efforts to resolve the Bank Bali case.

However, one more test lies in front of us. This concerns the question of how strictly we are going to enforce the law in this matter. In this respect, we should give our trust to our new Attorney General Marzuki Darusman, who just days after his appointment pledged to appropriately pursue the legal case against former president Soeharto.

The revival of our economy does not depend on the resolution of the Bank Bali scandal alone. This case, however, is the first crucial test and also the hardest which our new government has to face. The confidence of investors, the market and international institutions such as the IMF will be restored if the government succeeds in satisfactorily settling this case.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta