Indonesia has lost its attraction

Indonesia has lost its attraction

In this era of globalization, everything that is happening in this country -- every tragedy, the never-ending violence, the shameful behavior of our politicians and all the instances of corruption -- easily reaches the eyes and ears of the world. Every day, people throughout the world are presented negative reports about Indonesia.

Of late, the Bank Bali scandal, the East Timor crisis and the occasional violent demonstrations have put new pressure on our economy. Our political agenda until the end of the year is a busy one and it is quite possible that an overheating of the political situation will make friction among the various interest groups in our society.

We don't as yet know what mark we will be scoring for investment this year. However, it can be expected that it won't be much different from last year's when we had a net disinvestment figure of minus US$356 million. Given such a record, we should all be able to see that the extended economic crisis that we are in at present is one of our own making.

We have been unable so far to mend Indonesia's image abroad. Case upon injurious case has been left unresolved while our political elites continue to play dangerous games that threaten the interests of the public at large. How long is this going to last?

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta