JP/6/OTHER3

JP/6/OTHER3

Clamor from KADIN chairman

Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) Aburizal Bakrie called on the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to discuss economic recovery.

Among the Asian nations hit by the economic crisis, Indonesia is the only one that has yet to recover. Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand recovered early.

How did they do it? Because they were able to solve their political problems. Malaysia took a clear political stance, namely that it did not need the IMF -- a political and economic decision that determined its subsequent path. One of the key points of South Korea's success was its guts to make a political decision against its corrupt leaders.

Thailand, which has a strong king, meanwhile had the guts to end constitutional crisis by setting up a constitutional drafting assembly which was tasked to make amendments to its radical constitution.

It is clear that economic recovery is strongly related to politics. Hence, the core of the problem of Indonesia's economic crisis is related to the political structure and system.

The KADIN chairman was right to issue his statement. Indonesia's economy can only recover from the crisis if the country's political affairs are handled properly, by having a strong and courageous president elected directly and not as a result of horse trading at the MPR. -- Media Indonesia