Gambling, not confidence

So, a bunch of foreign investors, especially large fund managers, are strongly interested in buying shares in the country's publicly listed companies, which, as our esteemed minister of finance refers to as "this strong interest indicates their continuing confidence in Indonesia" (The Jakarta Post, March 31).

How's that for pure, unmitigated twaddle! It's nothing but speculation, period. I myself am not averse to having a bit of a flutter every now and then, and would probably do the same thing if I had their kind of money. You don't need a degree from an American university to realize that stock exchanges are nothing but glorified gambling dens.

GUS KAIRUPAN

Jakarta