Initial evaluation of the impact of the Y2K bug on Indonesia
Initial evaluation of the impact of the Y2K bug on Indonesia
By RM Roy Suryo
YOGYAKARTA (JP): "Saved by the bell," an idiom often used in
boxing, is a good phrase to begin this initial evaluation of the
impact of the millennium bug in Indonesia.
After all, following the critical period of Dec. 31, 1999 to
Jan. 1, 2000 and on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 at the opening of banks and
the stock exchange, when things appeared to be fairly safe, the
next critical date was Jan. 7; there were fears that noncompliant
computers would take Jan. 7 as a holiday in 1900.
However because Jan. 8 is Idul Fitri, a day before which the
central bank, Bank Indonesia, always stops clearing activities,
the anxieties over the bug on Friday, Jan. 7 did not materialize.
In the meantime, at least, Indonesians can breath a sigh of
relief as the bug has not yet created significant havoc here. Not
yet? As its name suggests, the "bug" might not have taken effect,
given tight, good "security" from six critical sectors so far.
Therefore the Y2K team, despite what it has been doing it has
not been quite visible to the public, deserves applause for its
temporary success in overcoming the bug, and so do the three
ministers who openly displayed concern over the problem --
Minister of Communications Agum Gumelar, State Minister of Social
Affairs Anak Agung Gde Agung and Minister of Mines and Energy
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Ironically, the State Minister of Research and Technology A.S.
Hikam has been tight-lipped about this technical problem, which
could have a wide-ranging social impact.
Possible chaos
The possible chaos that the bug may still cause should not be
overlooked. The prediction that the Y2K problem could cause
disaster at the transitional moment between 1999 and 2000 allowed
Indonesia and other parts of the world to take precautionary
measures. If the prediction had not been made, maybe the
condition would not have been as good as it is now.
It is true that incidents that occurred in Indonesia were not
as bad as those in some other countries. It also would be naive
to say that the millennium bug doesn't bite or to assume that Y2K
is an unfounded rumor spread by world computer wizards. It would
be just as naive to suspect that the issue was created by
computer consultants for their personal gain.
The wrong perception that Y2K is no threat amounts to a simple
anecdote about a student who is to sit for an exam. There are
three possibilities that may occur. First, when he studies only a
part of a subject, there is a chance he will forget the other
part. Second, if studies the whole subject, chances are he will
forget a big part of it. Third, if he does not study at all, he
will have nothing to forget.
So it would be better if those unknowledgeable about Y2K did
not force others to accept their narrow views.
If major institutions like Telkom, Indosat, Bank Indonesia,
the banking system, the stock exchange, state electricity company
PLN, state oil company Pertamina and airlines had not taken the
necessary precautions in December, calamity might have befallen
them. Then Chris Morris' (Gartner Group Pacific) worry that
Indonesia was vulnerable to the computer glitch could have become
reality.
Data about institutions and businesses' readiness for the
millennium bug was unconvincing and gave the impression that they
were covering up the truth. This became even more suspicious when
the Certification Institute MKT-2000 issued only 46 Y2K
compliance certificates at the end of 1999.
Although Indonesia was largely protected from the bug, there
were a few Y2K-related cases.
First, the appearance of 1900 for more than one minute on Bank
Indonesia's Y2K command center computer. It happened in the
presence of BI deputy governor Aulia Pohan, who has confirmed the
incident.
Second, an automatic teller machine of Bank Niaga denied
access to a customer's account from which he wanted to withdraw
money, even though the right procedure had been carried followed.
This incident was recorded and aired by SCTV.
Third, chaos happened in the automatic recharging system of
Simpati prepay SIM card for mobile phones.
Fourth, the computer systems of some media like Media
Indonesia, Republika and Mandiri were down because they were not
Y2K compliant. Although the problem could be overcome, the
incidents are worth noting.
We should stay alert for possible Y2K disasters even though
the much worried-about change in year has passed. One should
remember the computer glitch that hit the ballot-counting process
following the June general election. Although the poll ran
smoothly under the watchful eyes of international observers,
including former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, the ballot-counting
and allocation of legislative seats hit a snag. A snag also
affected the nomination of president and vice president.
Although we passed 1999 relatively safely, to have a "victory
party" would be premature because the bug might strike in the
future. It may affect projects like the standardization of
student registration numbers because universities still use
computer systems which are not Y2K compliant.
Another thing to watch for is the possibility of computer
dates jumping to March 3, 2000 from Feb. 28, because some
computers are not ready for the 2000 leap year. Feb. 28 and Feb.
29 are work days and if a glitch does occur, it will not be a
case of being saved by the bell.
The writer