Habibie's urgent tasks

Habibie's urgent tasks

In times of crisis such as now, the government must move with
both firmness and speed. There is no other option for the Habibie
government but to finish at least two urgent tasks. First, it
must stick to the reform agenda already agreed upon. The passing
of new political laws, the holding of a People's Consultative
Assembly's (MPR) special session, the holding of general
elections and a convening of the MPR general session next year
must follow the time schedule already planned. Second, the
government must settle all the important outstanding issues it
has promised to resolve. The abduction of political activists,
the May riots, the atrocities that have been committed in a
number of provinces and the eradication of corruption, including
the promised investigation into (ex-president) Soeharto's wealth
are some of those issues. They are part of the government's debt
to the people.

Those two agendas must be attacked simultaneously. Delaying
either of them would only aggravate the problems at hand.
Finishing those two agendas will not guarantee that the economic
crisis, which is already more than a year old, can be overcome
soon. However, it would help restore the public's confidence in
the government. If all those issues can be settled soon and
satisfactorily, the government's legitimacy will be established.
Without such legitimacy, no economic program, however excellent,
will help.

The present lack of legitimacy is providing ammunition for
opponents to undermine Habibie's government. It would be naive to
believe that those opposing groups do not have a political
agenda. On the other hand, Habibie's supporters, too, are certain
to have agendas of their own. Whatever political targets are
involved, though, it would be sad if the people must become the
victims of this rivalry.

-- Republika, Jakarta