Government must heed rocky road ahead: Hamzah

JAKARTA (JP): The new government may be off to a flying start but it will have to deal carefully with potholes in its path ahead, Vice President Hamzah Haz said on Saturday.

"Ahead of us is a bumpy road and we will slide into the ravine if we take the wrong path," he said.

Hamzah visited Muslim cleric Munzir Tamam in Klender, East Jakarta on Saturday.

The government's promising early days have been marked by the strengthening of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar, from over Rp 11,000 to Rp 9,000 per dollar, Hamzah said.

"The strengthening rupiah allows the state to save Rp 50 trillion for the upcoming budget," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

The sum is significant for Indonesia because of its huge foreign debt, he added.

Hamzah also said the government was to make available considerable funds for the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have been displaced in various pockets of the country. The money will also be used create jobs for the millions of jobless, he added.