The euphoria must end

The euphoria must end

President Megawati Soekarnoputri's statement in front of the
Indonesian community in Algeria that the euphoria of reform
should be limited was in fact a reflection of public sentiment.

The reform movement should not have overjoyed us or
inappropriately obsessed us into continuously demanding our
rights without fulfilling our duties and being accountable to the
public.

What the President conveyed to the Indonesian community in
Algeria was that political life was improving, security was under
control and the rupiah was getting stronger.

But she admitted that the economy had been stagnant.

Megawati called on everyone to work together, hand in hand, to
rebuild the nation. Despite the fact that the appeal was
announced in an informal manner, the message was clear.

She did it in an "Indonesian way", which would be more
fruitful than a flowery speech.

We should take the President's appeal as a positive move. We
need to have the courage to end the uncertain euphoria and get
reform back on its track.

--Kompas, Jakarta

JP/NATIONAL NEWS

Li Peng's visit

Not only is the ongoing visit of People's Republic of China
(PRC) parliamentary speaker Li Peng to Indonesia important in
terms of bilateral relations, it is also interesting to observe
from the perspective of China's own problems.

Li Peng visited Indonesia less than one month after Taiwanese
Vice President Annette Lu. As host, Indonesia welcomed Lu and Li
Peng openly. Indonesia has also reiterated its support for the
one-China policy.

The presence of Li Peng for five days since Sept. 8 in
Indonesia has been a display of diplomacy taken by PRC after
canceling its plan to buy liquefied natural gas from Indonesia.
Taiwan seems to have taken advantage of the canceled purchase of
natural gas. Taiwan indicated that it was ready to buy LNG from
Indonesia, showing that the former's position is in contrast with
China's.

In terms of diplomatic measures taken by Indonesia, the
foreign visits by Indonesian leaders are questionable. The
overseas trips made by both former president Abdurrahman Wahid
and incumbent President Megawati are considered unsatisfactory as
the country continues to suffer from myriad problems.

-- Kompas