Justice for ordinary people

Justice for ordinary people

From Kompas

The increase in fuel prices, and electricity and telephone
charges have no direct impact on the poor people, who have no
motorized vehicles. However, the impact of the price increases --
soaring prices of daily necessities, will hit them hard.

Also, the 17 percent hike in the fares of economy class trains
has seriously burdened the low-income bracket people, who cannot
afford to travel by ship, bus or, of course, plane.
They will the ones who are suffering.

The rise in telephone toll road charges will only send the
prices of commodities even higher.

Clearly, it is not the upper and middle social classes that
will suffer the impact of these price increases. It is the
ordinary people on the lowest rung of the social ladder that will
be hardest hit by these price hikes.

It is ironical that those siphoning off state funds through
the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI) loan scheme --
trillions of rupiah in amount -- have been granted release and
discharge and therefore are now exempted from criminal charges.

Very clearly, therefore, justice is only a dream of the
ordinary people, especially given the fact that the assets that
BLBI debtors have surrendered to the government are much lower in
value than their debts.

Finally, it is the ordinary people that will have to cover
this shortfall.

TAUFIK KARMADI, Jakarta