Hopes pinned on Mega-Hamzah duo

Hopes pinned on Mega-Hamzah duo

From Bisnis Indonesia

For close to four years now. Indonesians have been baffled by
political uncertainty, and social and security disturbances with
the result that national economic recovery efforts have been
seriously hampered.

The exchange rate of the rupiah against the United States
dollar has never been stable all this time while the rate of
inflation has continued to increase. As a result, a number of the
government's economic restructuring programs have been
obstructed.

This situation has been exacerbated by the fact that the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), an agency overseeing
Indonesia's economic recovery efforts, has since December 2000
postponed the disbursement of another tranche of its loan to
Indonesia, a decision leading to unfavorable perceptions that the
administration of former president Abdurrahman Wahid was
incapable of forging cooperation with the international community
in the financial and monetary sectors.

Regardless of the correctness of this perception, I would like
to express my sincere hope that Megawati and Hamzah Haz can run
an effective administration and establish strong political
leadership capable of applying effective economic policies that
conform with the nation's agenda in the future.

May Megawati and Hamzah Haz be imbued with forward-looking
vision so that they will not just comply with the wishes of a
handful of people in bowing to the dictates of international
creditors, whose interests may not always be in line with our
national interests.

It is also hoped that Mega's cabinet will be able to translate
the nation's interests into concrete economic policies so that
Indonesia will not always have to let itself be dictated to by
global capitalism as manifested by, among other things, the loans
extended to this country.

ARIFIN NURHIDAYAT

Jakarta