Stay home, Mrs. President

Stay home, Mrs. President

President Megawati Soekarnoputri is planning more elaborate
trips abroad, including one to Mexico to attend the APEC summit
later this month and another to attend the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cambodia on Nov. 2 to
Nov. 5. Given the critical domestic situation after the tragic
Bali bombing, however, we strongly suggest that she remain in
Indonesia.

With the possible exception of the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh
in early November, there are a number of problems here at home
that more urgently require her attention, such as following up on
the decision to introduce tighter coordination of the
intelligence services. As we have noted, the Bali disaster is one
indication of failure within the state's intelligence network.
The President's presence in Jakarta is required to continuously
prod the various government agencies assigned to finding the
perpetrators of the Bali bombing and bring them to justice.

With graft allegations being leveled at the attorney general,
the question of appointing a new attorney general naturally
becomes more pressing. After all, how can the issue of terrorism
be intensely pursued if the Attorney General's Office is burdened
with damaging allegations?

However, the most pressing task that requires the presence of
President Megawati is the rehabilitation of Bali in the wake of
the Oct. 12 tragedy. Certainly the devastated area needs to be
reconstructed as soon as possible and bank loans with easy terms
should be provided to the shopkeepers whose business premises are
now in ruins. But most important of all, the cohesion of the
fractured Balinese community needs to be restored since the
traumatic experience of last Saturday night has caused friction
and created an atmosphere of suspicion that must not be allowed
to fester.

We are certain that several visits to Bali by the President in
the wake of the Oct. 12 tragedy are required. This rehabilitation
process will be of significant help in convincing the world that
the healing capacity of the Indonesian political scene is still
intact. We therefore believe that the presence of the President
at home is urgently required.