ITW takes a stance

ITW takes a stance

From Media Indonesia

In connection with the government's sale of a share in PT Indosat, which is a strategic asset of the state, to a foreign country, in this case represented by Singapore Technologies Telemedia, we, the Indonesian Telecommunications Watch (ITW), would like to express our firm stance as follows:

* We asked the government, in this case the state minister of state enterprises, to cancel the sale of the share of Indosat to Singapore, because such a sale runs counter to the sovereignty of the nation and the state. Therefore, ITW supports the protest lodged by the Indosat Workers Union as an illustration of attempts to maintain national sovereignty.

* Forcing through the sale of the Indosat share, which is a strategic asset, to a foreign country is a highly dangerous act and an intolerable crime, so those responsible for and supporting the sale can be categorized as terrorists against the state. Therefore, these people must be immediately investigated and their accountability sought.

* If the government insists on selling a share of Indosat to a foreign country, in this case Singapore, ITW will urge the House of Representatives to set up a special committee to look into this matter.

* Taking a lesson from what happened to previous governments, the government, in this case the state minister of state enterprises, must immediately realize it is a mistake to assume that President Megawati Soekarnoputri will not be implicated in this case.

We have made this statement as a manifestation of our responsibility to and love for our nation and state.

MASGAR KARTANEGARA, ITW President, Jakarta