Government poorer than people

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