Gus Dur eagerly awaited in Singapore

JAKARTA (JP): Diplomats, ministers and businesspeople are scrambling for seats to a luncheon with President Abdurrahman Wahid during his visit to Singapore on Saturday, Indonesian ambassador to the city state Luhut Pandjaitan said here on Thursday.

Pandjaitan said 400 people, including businesspeople from Singapore, other Asian countries, Europe and America, 55 ambassadors and six Singaporean ministers had registered for the function, which is being organized by Singapore's Economic Development Board and will be held at the Shangri La hotel.

"Many requests for seats to the function were denied due to a lack of seats," Pandjaitan said at the State Palace here, where he met with Abdurrahman.

Singapore will be the first stop for Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, on his tour of eight members countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

He also will visit Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Chinese-Indonesian businessman Anwar Djohansyah, who also attended the meeting at the palace, said this eagerness to see Abdurrahman reflected the optimism of Singapore's business community for Indonesia's new leadership.

"To Singaporean businessmen, President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri make an ideal duo. They believe that this pair is God's gift to Indonesia," said the Acehnese-born Djohansah.

Djohansah, who is president of PT Sasana Kwarta Putra, said Chinese-Indonesian businesspeople who took their money out of the country during the last two years of economic and political crises were ready to repatriate their funds.

"There are about 100,000 ethnic Chinese businessmen and each is ready to transfer US$1 million to Indonesia. With that kind of money, Indonesia would no longer have to rely on the IMF to rebuild its economy," Djohansah said in an interview with The Jakarta Post here on Wednesday.

"Besides, Indonesia does not have to pay interest," Djohansah said.

Djohansah is among thousands of ethic Chinese businesspeople who fled the country following the May 1998 riots that devastated the ethnic Chinese community. Most of the businesspeople have parked their money in Singapore and elsewhere, and reportedly are now ready to resume doing business in Indonesia.

Bank Indonesia has estimated $30 billion in funds fled the country over the past two years, but noted Chinese-Indonesian tycoon Sofyan Wanandi estimated capital outflows at only $10 billion.

"What we need is a security guarantee from the new government. Once we are convinced of security and stability, we will resume business in Indonesia. After all, we are Indonesians, albeit of Chinese descent, and who else but us Indonesians are better at rebuilding the country's economy given our experience," Djohansah said.

Pandjaitan added that an integrated set of regulations will help cut down the redtape in licensing and other trade and finance activities.

Abdurrahman's address to the luncheon therefore is crucial to help build confidence, Djohansah said.

"It now depends on Gus Dur to convince us and Singaporean businessmen there is a conducive climate to resume business and invest our money in Indonesia," he said.

Many businesspeople in Singapore, both Chinese-Indonesians and Singaporeans, are eying the companies currently being sold by the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency, he said. (lem/prb/jsk)