Strong reactions greet Lee's Asia crisis comment
Strong reactions greet Lee's Asia crisis comment
JAKARTA (JP): Former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's
remark that Asia's financial crisis could worsen if the market
was uncomfortable with Indonesia's next vice president was met
with strong reactions here yesterday.
The strongest reaction came from State Minister of Research
and Technology B.J. Habibie, one of several figures who covet the
vice-presidential post.
Habibie, responding to a legislator's question at a hearing of
the House of Representatives here yesterday, said the country's
national leaders could not be chosen by the market.
"How could the country's choice of its national leaders be
dictated by the trading of dollars and stocks in Singapore
markets. Give me a break," he told House Commission VIII for
budget, finance, research and technology affairs.
Habibie was asked by legislator Ekki Sjachrudin of the
dominant Golkar faction for his views on Lee's comment.
Lee, who led Singapore for 31 years until 1990, was quoted as
saying that market unhappiness with an Indonesian vice-president
would lead to higher inflation, more companies going bankrupt and
greater unemployment.
News that Habibie might be the preferred candidate for the
second top post caused a sharp fall in the value of the rupiah
last month, news reports said.
"The resulting social problems will be widespread," Lee said.
"It is vital to Indonesia that the rupiah is stabilized and
the stock market begins to recover. Otherwise, the fallout would
be bad for Indonesia and may again spread panic over the region,"
he said.
Habibie said the market situation and its response could not
be used as a dipstick in the selection of national leaders and
endorsement of State Guidelines during the People's Consultative
Assembly's General Session next month.
He said Lee could be wrong.
"However, I should tell you journalists, that I regard Pak Lee
a very wise statesman and someone who has done much for his
country," Habibie said.
Meanwhile, some 20 angry people briefly picketed the
Singaporean embassy here yesterday to demonstrate their disgust
for Lee's remarks.
The young people shouted and waved anti-Lee placards for
several minutes before police arrived and caught a protester
kicking the embassy's gate.
The man was soon released and all the protesters got back into
the truck they arrived in. They did not attempt to hand over a
letter of protest or speak to embassy officials.
The Singapore embassy could not be reached for comment
yesterday.
Also airing an anti-Lee protest yesterday was the Center for
Information and Development Studies, a think-tank of the
Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals Association (ICMI) chaired by
Habibie.
"Lee's comment has hurt the nations' sense of sovereignty...
as if the country's national leadership could be dictated by
others," it said in a statement. (emf/aan)