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