Praiseworthy humility

Economic strength is an essential determinate of a nation's international influence. For example, economic strength helped make the United States an integral part of the world economy.

After Japan and Germany, the next economic powerhouse is probably Southeast Asia. It seems paradoxical that countries like Indonesia are growing. For example, in 1970, 63 percent of Indonesia's total population lived below the poverty line, but in 1993, only 13.7 percent reportedly lived below the line.

Indonesia is one of the largest debtor nations in the world, yet it was able to increase workers' wages as much as 30 percent in 1994. Indonesia is in a transition from an agricultural-based economy to an industrial base, this is illustrated by the increasing contribution of the industrial sector towards GDP growth. Up to 1995, the economy has been able to achieve 8.07 percent growth.

How huge would the Indonesian economy become if the state- owned aircraft maker (IPTN) was able to penetrate the international market? Already there's a prediction that based on purchasing power parity, the Indonesian economy will be the fifth largest in the world, after the U.S., China, Japan and India, in 2020.

At the moment, there are signs that Indonesia is on the way to becoming a great economic power in Asia, though it may not be easy to overtake other Asian economic powers like Japan and China. However, despite this economic achievement, Indonesia remains humble, an attitude which deserves praise.

BUHARI ABDU

Jakarta