President to take charge of economy

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Tuesday he would take a "hands-on" role in guiding the economy following various hiccups in the government's economic team.

"In the past, I let the economy go naturally, but it can't be like that anymore and now there must be direct guidance from me to keep the economic recovery on track," Abdurrahman said.

The President will now chair weekly meetings of his economic team in a bid "to find breakthroughs in economic policy".

But Abdurrahman was quick to add he had full faith in Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Kwik Kian Gie and his team.

"I have total trust in Kwik ... but basic economic policies should be solved by myself together with (Kwik and his team)," the President remarked.

Abdurrahman dismissed suggestions he had not given sufficient personal attention to economic affairs.

"I'm always interested in policies, especially on the economy," Abdurrahman said. Nevertheless, he conceded the economy was not his top priority when he took office in October, with security being a more immediate concern.

"It was not the time yet ... investment in Indonesia is directly related to the security situation, so I dealt with the security situation first.

"The fact that we're lagging behind in several things doesn't mean we're against them, it's a matter of (overcoming) security and political problems to carry out those things," the President said.

Soon after Abdurrahman made this statement, the government's economic team received a further blow when Kwik had to be rushed to the hospital.

A sources close to the minister confirmed Kwik fell ill in his office on Tuesday evening and required medical attention.

The source said Kwik appeared pale and blacked out during a meeting in his office. He was taken to the hospital and was released after several hours.

Kwik's condition was said to be normal, but he was ordered by doctors to rest.(dja/byg/prb)