Private players in the economy

Private players in the economy

Gradually deregulating the economy without taking measures in
other fields has led to the emergence of strong players. There is
no need to try to argue about where the fault lies. All of this
may be an accumulative effect in a natural process prompted by
openness and changing times. Within certain limits such a trend
is not always negative. Nor is it typically Indonesian.

However, what must be done about the domination of those
economic players to prevent the government from losing its
control function. The answer to this question depends on how well
the government is prepared to anticipate future developments.
Efforts must be made to optimize the roles of the institutions of
control such as the House of Representatives, the judiciary and
the press by passing effective laws and regulations.

As long as the dominance of private players can be balanced by
an effective control function, we believe there is no reason for
concern. Provided that a conducive climate can be created by the
government, a leadership role of private economic players
supported by strong non-governmental organizations and a strong
press could even stimulate development, as (Indonesian economist)
Emil Salim has suggested.

In this case, a command of the art of management is needed.
The government, as the "manager", should be able to control the
development machinery and know when to act while preserving the
viability of all the components of the development apparatus.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta