Mon, 04 Sep 2000

From: Jawawa

Give new Cabinet a chance

From Media Indonesia

The lineup of the reshuffled Cabinet has been announced. New names appeared and the new Cabinet has sparked positive and negative responses among the political elite and observers. Some mass media publications have voiced unfavorable opinions about this new Cabinet. Various arguments have been made and all point to a single question: Are the ministers, especially in the economics portfolio, really capable and credible? They also argue that the Cabinet lineup does not meet the expectation of the people and the market. One may enquire at this point, which particular ministers are meant.

As an ordinary person in the community I wish to call on the political elite and observers not to express their ideas on behalf of the people. I would also like to appeal to them not to criticize the new Cabinet yet but to give the newly appointed ministers a chance to solve the problems that the nation is encountering now. Whether or not some of the ministers are well- known does not quite matter, because the most important thing is that they perform their tasks in a responsible way.

I believe the ministers in the new lineup of the Cabinet are the President's best choices.

May the ministers in new Cabinet receive good cooperation to lead the Indonesian people to a state of prosperity. As for the political observers, they must stop criticizing and start doing something for the benefit of the country.

ENDANG SUHENDAR

Bogor, West Java