The devil we know

The devil we know

I have just arrived back after a four-month trip to Europe and
the Middle East. Being an Indonesian abroad nowadays is not
something to be proud of after all the negative publication on
this country.

During my flight from Singapore to Jakarta, I noticed two
articles on the front page of Asia Wall Street Journal May 17,
1999. One is Habibie vs. Megawati - election race in Indonesia
and the other is Business remains divided on support for
candidates.

I noted with dismay in the latter that some foreign
multinational companies privately say they prefer the "Functional
Group" (Golkar) party to win because the government will remain
consistent. As a matter of fact, one U.S. banker in Jakarta was
quoted as saying that "the devil you know is better than the one
you don't".

My comment to this U.S. banker is, has he/she failed to
realize that my country's biggest mistake was exactly our reason
former president Soeharto reigned in his authoritarian style and
corrupt manner for the last 32 years under the pretext of "the
devil we know".

Now Indonesians have to pay such a high price with
unemployment and ongoing racial, religious and tribal conflicts
such as in Aceh, Kalimantan, Ambon, East Timor etc.

Not to forget the overwhelming amount of our foreign debt that
to date is unresolved as of yet. This foreign debt reflects
unfavorably on the credit rating of Indonesia, thus in the long
run will also make it very difficult for the future generation of
Indonesian businessmen to earn confidence due to the tarnished
credibility created by the present establishment.

Finally, we have to remember in the beginning the Habibie
government promised that it was here solely for a transitional
period. But now it seems that Habibie intends to follow in the
footsteps of his mentor: Soeharto. Therefore on June 7, it is
entirely up to ourselves to prove to the world that we are indeed
a good learner.

WATI ABDULGANI

Jakarta