State-owned companies are not milking cows

State-owned companies are not milking cows

Indonesia's state-owned companies have been prohibited from
extending contributions to the country's political parties.

Although this was only a verbal instruction made by State
Minister for State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi over the
weekend, we can heave a sigh of relief.

It has been an open secret that state-owned companies have so
far been made into milking cows by various parties, whenever the
general election draws nigh.

Thus, the prohibition is even more important at present
because the people are increasingly disgusted with rampant
corruption from the highest to the lowest elements in the
government.

The key to implementing the prohibition successfully is the
courage of state-owned companies' general managers to reject any
demand for contribution from political parties.

Law enforcement can also play an important role here because
without it, Laksamana's instruction would be nothing more than
mere pursuit of the wind. -- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta

Madness in the Middle East

So on Tuesday we were all reminded of the madness that dwells
in the Middle East.

First some maniac drove his car to a hotel full of United
Nations workers and set off a mammoth bomb that killed as many as
17 people including the head of the U.N. in Iraq, the beloved and
respected Brazilian Sergio Vieira de Mello. ...

Then, later in the day, came the carnage in Jerusalem when
another mindless, heartless person full of hatred bombed a city
bus taking with him at least 20 people including some children,
and wounding about 100. ...

So what else is there to say? Well, in terms of Iraq, not much
except that a bunch of idiots won't keep the United States and
the rest of the coalition forces from finishing the job that we
so unwisely started. The worst, absolute worse thing we could do
right now is disengage from Iraq. That, of course, would mean the
worst kind of chaos, and that would mean a cozy place for
terrorists that could really be a threat to us, unlike Saddam.

There is more the president could say, however. So far he
seems to be feeding the American public what it wants to
hear. ...

And Donald Rumsfeld should have more to say. Perhaps for once
he could drop his combative style and shoot straight with the
American people who have watched a slow trickle of body bags come
back from the desert.....

-- The Anniston Star, Anniston, Alabama