Habibie calls for common stance to boost economy

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie urged the people yesterday to put aside differences about his administration's legitimacy to work with the government to restore the country's economy.

Promising his Cabinet would do its utmost to carry out reforms in all spheres of life, he said it would not be able to finish its tasks overnight.

Habibie also assured the nation that he would always position himself as the leader of the country's 202 million people, although he realized that not everybody supported him.

"Without any previous plan or expectation, I received the honor to lead the Indonesian people, including those who are not happy with me, and even lead those who possibly plan to kill me," he said in a meeting with 45 leaders of the Indonesian Buddhist Council (Walubi) and Indonesian Hindu Dharma Council (PHDI) at Bina Graha presidential office.

People should focus their energy and attention on the future and not waste time rehashing the past, he said.

"Total reform is for the future, not for the past... It does not mean that we do not want to learn from our mistakes, we learn from ours and other people's mistakes."

The President pointed out that the country's most pressing problem was how to revive the economy -- especially as it would likely contract by 10 percent this year -- although political and legal reforms were no less important.

"However, as we are too impatient to carry out reforms, we forget unemployment problems, forget poor people who actually do not care whoever becomes their president, vice president or ministers, because what is important for them is what to eat."

The new government will prioritize assistance for small and medium companies as 70 percent of employment is provided by this sector, he said.

"I do realize during this monetary crisis small and medium scale businesses are in fact the most economically resilient."

The President said he was confident the country's reform policies were on track and had even won praise from the international community, including the International Monetary Fund's Asia Pacific director Hubert Neiss.

"We'll just wait for the realization of his statement about the organization's (plan) to assist Indonesia in overcoming the crisis."

Habibie also expressed his concern about groups of people who claimed they spoke on behalf of people when they were only seeking to further their personal agendas.

"I am not blind, and not deaf, my friends are not only national leaders but also ordinary people," he said.

The meeting is part of a series of conferences with various community leaders to receive input from them and for Habibie to provide information about his programs.

During a meeting with leaders of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) on Friday, he told them that a fresh poll would be held next year and the government would allow people to set up their own political parties.

On Monday, he assured leaders of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) and Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) that the government would guarantee freedom of religion. (prb)