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