Herculean task

Herculean task

From Rakyat Merdeka

With a population of 210 million, Indonesia sustains offshore
loans worth US$145 billion, the legacy of the New Order. These
loans are made up of government loans ($70 billion) and
government-guaranteed private debts, of which part of the
interest and the principal has been settled.

During the New Order era, corruption, collusion and nepotism
were rampant and 35 percent of the development fund allocated in
the state budget disappeared. In the regions, part of this fund
would again vanish.

When drafting the state budget, the fund for offshore loan
repayment, totaling Rp 56 trillion, came from loans, assets of
state-owned enterprises and the Indonesian Bank Restructuring
Agency, and also from the people through higher taxes and
increased power and telephone rates and fuel prices.

Indonesians are now shouldering a very heavy burden. To make
matters worse, efforts to recoup the state's assets stolen by
"black" tycoons and corrupters have yet to bear fruit. To comfort
laymen, there have been reports of irregularities amounting to
trillions of rupiah uncovered by the Supreme Audit Agency and the
Development and Financial Control Board. The law does not seem to
work.

Even regarding President Megawati's explanation about this
matter to Indonesians living in Japan, some domestic figures have
commented that this is but another form of lip service.

In this context, law enforcement agencies must be responsive
to the President's statement and follow it up with action. After
all, they are paid by the people and are required to take action
against officials and community members for their crimes.

About the increasing exchange rate of the U.S. dollar, nobody
will be successful in keeping in check the soaring rate of U.S.
dollar against rupiah. The reason? External factors and an
increasing demand for U.S. dollars as this is time for the
businessmen concerned to repay their debts.

MARSOESI

Surabaya