Racing against time

Racing against time

Just one week after his installation as Indonesia's fourth President, KH Abdurrahman Wahid and his team are finding themselves confronted by challenges in almost every area -- some inherited from the old administration, others created by Gus Dur (President Abdurrahman) himself. Among the challenges that have arisen as a result of the new government's own policies is the unrest that is at present brewing in (two) liquidated ministries.

In terms of efficacy, it is indeed desirable that departments or institutions that are no longer effective or have become outdated are liquidated. Problems, however, have arisen because the process of liquidation was completed when a new government was not even installed. The government and the ministers concerned must, therefore, move quickly to assuage the apprehensions of the employees who are in danger of losing their incomes.

To add to the problem, the government's routine budget is at present already in the red. For that reason, as Coordinating Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry Kwik Kian Gie has explained, cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) must be restored as soon as possible. The IMF, for its part, is waiting for the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit to be published in its entirety.

Considering our present condition, we can only hope that the House of Representatives, which is already holding the long form PwC audit report, can act proactively to prevent this problem from dragging on for too long, the consequences of which are difficult to imagine.

All the parties involved in this case are called upon to put the nation's interests above those of their own groups or parties.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta