Our loan burden

Our loan burden

By the end of the 1995/1996 fiscal year Indonesia's foreign loans are expected to reach US$100 billion. On the face of it, this is indeed a formidable sum. It looks like a burden that is threatening our children and grandchildren. These loans, however, may not become a burden to our national economy provided that they are used in a positive manner. This involves selecting positive targets for their use. Therefore, we should guard against unnaturally inflated project costs.

Loans are always a burden. But we hope our loans will not become a problem for our children and grandchildren. It is our task to absolve them from having to face the duty of repaying the loans. The present generation, which has incurred the loans, has the duty to be productive to the limit in order that future generations may be spared from having to pay. We should learn from the experiences of the poor countries of Latin America and Africa.

-- Republika, Jakarta