No sense of justice

No sense of justice

Once again the government and the political elite have
demonstrated their ineptitude in the face of a crisis, with their
decision to increase fuel, electricity and telephone charges.

Even more perplexing to us was the decision by President
Megawati Soekarnoputri's husband, Taufik Kiemas, to celebrate his
birthday with a grand party in Bali. As a number of government
officials and members of the House of Representatives (DPR) were
in attendance it is understandable the chairman of the Justice
Party (PK), Hidayat Nurwahid, voiced his concerns as to the lack
of a sense of crisis demonstrated under the current
circumstances.

Worse still, with the recent issuance of release and discharge
to private debtors we learn the government and some of the
political elite lack not only any sense of crisis but also any
sense of justice.

It will be the public that suffers the burden of the debts not
repaid by the tycoons and the public that will be responsible for
the government's growing foreign debt.

So now, to balance the state budget, the government has
increased charges for fuel, electricity and phone calls and by
doing so has effectively altered the price of basic commodities.

And therein lies the irony: The tycoons are freed from their
obligation to return their debts totaling trillions of rupiah,
the politicians party in Bali and the people pay the price.

-- Republika, Jakarta