Promote our own products

The President's instruction calling on government agencies to pursue austerity seems most timely. In addition, the President also reminded cabinet ministers, heads of nonministerial government agencies, provincial governors, regents and city mayors not to issue any regulations that run against the deregulation and debureaucratization measures that have so far been taken. All such regulations that may have already been erroneously issued should be revoked.

The President's call for improved public service is most appropriate. After all, the second long-term development plan foresees that 70 percent of investments to be made during this second long-term development period will come from the private sector. The government's efforts will be focused more on projects of strategic significance, such as building the kinds of necessary infrastructure in which the private sector is not interested.

In order to play this role, government agencies and officials are needed who have a true understanding of their functions as servants of the public -- officials who are not easily tempted to put the interests of groups of people before those of the public in general. In a case where some display of opulence is indeed necessary for the sake of promoting this country's good standing, then priority should be given to the use of our domestic products. If our own officials are ashamed to use our own products, how can we hope for others to use them?

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta