Improving behavior of state enterprise executives

Improving behavior of state enterprise executives

It is appropriate for President Megawati Soekarnoputri to ask businesses to immediately change their behavior. Businesses that only seek maximum profits helped bring all of us into the never- ending crisis.

Businesses also account for what is going on. The practice of marking up prices, which causes rampant corruption, collusion and nepotism, has caused business kingdoms to be mere sand castles.

When the storm of crisis strikes, the sand castles easily collapse. To support the country so that it will not fall to pieces, everyone eventually bears the costs of the crisis.

We know that no one wants the present situation to go on. That's why we welcome the initiative of the government to make a breakthrough in an effort to penetrate the impasse.

From the information we have obtained, the President has assigned Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Jusuf Kalla and Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to negotiate with, as well as to call on, business magnates to participate in resolving problems related to economic stagnation.

Several meetings with tycoons have been arranged, such as with Anthony Salim, Ongko and Usman Admajaya.

The cost of the crisis has reached Rp 700 trillion, with most of the amount to being attributed to officials of state-owned enterprises, most of whom, unfortunately, can no longer be held accountable because they have retired.

Once more, we do not want to look for scapegoats. We just want to remind everyone that, as citizens, we all are responsible for preserving and rebuilding this country.

-- Kompas, Jakarta