Gus Dur eagerly awaited in Singapore

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)