Floods in Jakarta
Floods in Jakarta
Jakarta is still in danger of getting flooded this rainy
season.
Although it would not perhaps be as bad as last year's, utmost
vigilance should nonetheless be maintained to anticipate the
floods.
It would be impossible to stop the viciousness of the flood.
However, we could reduce its impact if all components of society
are ready as early as possible.
As floods frequently hit Jakarta, the people should
automatically be prepared to face the rainy season.
Should the Jakarta administration and the people cooperate in
anticipating the flood, the result would be good.
The people of Jakarta are eager to see the capital city become
a convenient place to live in. This however will not come into
being without hard work. -- Republika, Jakarta
The tanker oil spill
The pitiful end to the poorly named Prestige has reopened the
debate on sea and environmental laws -- or the lack thereof ...
The raising of moral standards in maritime transport and
defense of the environment appears to be an imminent affair for
the European Union, and any progress in this area will be
welcomed in Brussels.
The fact that Greece is taking over the presidency of the
European Union at the beginning of 2003, and that Cyprus and
Malta -- also major maritime powers -- are joining in 2004, gives
special meaning to the Prestige crisis.
It's Athens' chance to show that a country with a historic
command of the sea will be able to impose strictness after too
many years of unpardonable laxity.
-- Le Monde, Paris
NATO summit
The gap between the United States and Europe grows every day.
That's true not only when it comes to the military capability,
where Europe increasingly resembles a fly weight. It's also true
for the view on when military force should be used. The result
has been that the United States is losing interest in Europe and
NATO.
Europe and the United States need each other. For the
superpower the European partnership within NATO offers not least
political legitimacy. But if NATO also is to be a military power
to be reckoned with the alliance must show that it has the
capability to meet the threats of the new era.
It's time for NATO to step up to the plate. If Europe accepts
the challenge the NATO of the future can develop into an alliance
a la carte in which 'coalitions of the willing' shoulder the
military missions. Such a NATO would definitely have an important
role to play.
-- Expressen, Stockholm, Sweden
China has new leaders
and old problems
The People's Republic of China has come through the Asian
crisis of the last years better than many other countries. ....
It cannot be overlooked, however, that the economic development
in China will burden millions of people with hardships which will
prove insurmountable for many of them.
For a large part of the population, factories in the public
sector still represent the employer and provider of everyday
needs and pensions in one. Attempting to change this was one of
the goals of the generation of leaders now stepping down.
Admittedly, these leaders only ever knew what they did not
want.
They did not have a detailed plan outlining what would happen
to those who are deprived of the state's protection. Precisely
such a plan is urgently needed. ...
How long the (Communist Party's) monopoly in power can be
preserved is one of many fascinating questions relating to
China's future.
The People's Republic of China, or whatever the country will
call itself in the distant future, has the potential to be a
great power. It still rests, however, on shaky foundations.
-- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurt, Germany
The child abuse campaign
The global 16-day campaign against woman and child abuse is a
laudable effort that demands, and indeed deserves, our
unqualified support. And President Thabo Mbeki's endorsement of
the campaign therefore must be applauded. Coming from the
president of this country, the endorsement amounts to more than
just weighty support for the fight against this social malady. It
sets an example we must all emulate.
More than that it lends moral support, which will help build
the necessary critical mass the campaign needs to succeed against
woman and child abuse.
However, no measure of moral support on its own can deliver an
effective response to this crime. crucial to ridding society of
this scourge must be uncompromising law enforcement.
It is not enough to simply have laws on our statute books.
They must be enforced.
Police, have, however, cited lack of human resources as one
reason why they have been less than decisive in protecting women
and children.
This is not good enough.
-- The Sowetan, Johannesburg, South Africa
McDonald's
McDonald's, the American burger-chain, which has proliferated
with seemingly unstoppable vigor throughout 121 countries,
appears to be in retreat.
Some days ago, the food chain announced that it was
withdrawing from three Latin American and Middle Eastern
countries. Now, it is also said to be "reviewing" the future of
certain prestigious London branches, including those in Oxford
Street and Regent Street.
Critics frown upon McDonald's global empire as a culinary
example of American imperialism, but its customers are simply
delighted to obtain a Happy Meal, a plastic toy and use of a
clean lavatory for what seems an astonishingly low price. When
one tastes McDonald's food, however, it becomes clear that the
price is perfectly appropriate.
The company's success in marketing itself to children -- with
games, puzzles and Disney film tie-ins -- has been such that most
children, upon glimpsing that illuminated yellow sign, are
guaranteed to work themselves into a frenzy of wheedling and
nagging, which usually ends in craven adult capitulation.
McDonald's "review" of select branches may be for many
reasons, but we prefer this one: in central London at least,
parents just might be regaining the upper hand.
--Sunday Telegraph, London