Government poorer than people

JAKARTA: Vice President Hamzah Haz acknowledged on Wednesday that the bulk of Indonesia's 213 million people are poor -- but added that the government was even poorer.

When closing a course conducted by the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas), Hamzah said that the government's major burden was a foreign debt that stands at more than US$60 billion.

In addition, the government is burdened with a larger domestic debt, chiefly owing to the guarantee it has made to pay for the banks it has liquidated.

"If people say Indonesia is poor, in fact it refers to the government," said Hamzah who has fortune worth 19 billion as he registered with the State Official Audit Agency (KPKPN).

Another major burden the government suffering is the Rp 1 trillion it has to spend to help 1.3 million displaced people across the country. --JP