Focus on people's prosperity

Focus on people's prosperity

From Rakyat Merdeka

Although this country has been independent for more than half a century, it is still endlessly entangled by various difficulties, including among others, the foreign debt amounting to US$ 140 billion.

Every year part of the state budget, Rp 60 trillion, is allocated for installments of foreign debt repayment. If the annual installments are projected at Rp 60 trillion (at the average exchange rate of Rp 9,000 per dollar), how many years will it take to pay up? To make things worse, every year the government seeks new foreign debt, plus huge amounts of interest on bonds must be paid. This is not forgetting that, due to the incompetence of officials of the state electricity company (PLN), the government has to meet a $ 260 million claim every year by foreign investors.

To overcome the national economic problems, previous governments took the easy way out, further burdening the people, who had been living from hand-to-mouth in continuous suffering. This finally resulted in a crisis of catastrophic proportions.

The traditional policy of hiking rates, such as for electricity, telephone services, water and fuel should be discontinued, as it is still possible to review them. At least, such increases, except for income tax, should be minimized.

The current Cabinet, the Kabinet Gotong Royong (mutual help Cabinet), must exert its best efforts to retrieve the huge amounts held by the conglomerates, that have earned them in dishonorable ways. Such ill-gotten funds and property should be confiscated and the relevant persons be brought to justice and never allowed out of the country.

Then there is the problem of BLBI (Bank Indonesia Liquidity Loans), initially announced as Rp 650 trillion and later, after being audited, revised to Rp 165 trillion. The finance minister should clarify the drastic decrease to alleviate the burden on the people.

The ministers of the Cabinet should put the people's interests as the number one priority as, according to the Constitution, the people should be made prosperous: therefore the government should stop making new loans.

Foreign loans should be discontinued for a certain period of time and the country should take a rest by postponing installments, including the payment of interest. Taking a rest does not mean the country will dishonor the loans.

This suggestion is in line with the policy of the President and Vice President that foreign loans should gradually be eradicated.

Projects of monumental size or for the sake of mere prestige should be deleted, except those with an export orientation, so that the state budget is not repeatedly revised.

By implementing the above the leadership quality of the new government will be appreciated by the people.

To creditors and admirers of Bung Karno (late president Sukarno) with large funds, I appeal for your participation in solving the country's problems, especially the payment of foreign loans, the creation of new jobs and the improvement of the people's morality.

H. MARSOESI

Surabaya