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