Fair, open governance wanted

Sincerity from the government (in implementing IMF-mandated reforms) is important in restoring public trust. This is due to the fact that we are facing not only a monetary crisis or economic distress but social and political troubles as well. The swelling tide of demands for reform, openness and justice demonstrate how wide-ranging the problem has become.

We should not delay tackling our problems because we will need to be able to pay attention to new ones. What people want is for each and every policy to be based on commonly agreed to principles -- in other words, all processes must be open, fair and equally valid for all, without discrimination. The basic tenet that everybody must be equal before the law is a principle of democracy that must be respected.

A democratic government is a dynamic government, one that is open to criticism, willing to make corrections and even initiate reforms. The opposite, theoretically, reduces a government's ability to rally public support and, at the very least, brings about veiled dissatisfaction. Such a situation benefits no one. On the face of it, the government may appear strong but this can be illusory.

We are now seeing how hollow our economy really is, though for years we believed in the slogans proclaiming the strength of our economic fundamentals. This realization should give us the strength to reflect on the situation and stop deluding ourselves.

We are confident that the new cabinet will continue to work sincerely and become even more responsive so that we can harbor the hope that the crisis will subside and the rupiah strengthen.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta