Towards national self-reliance

Towards national self-reliance

For several days the mass media have been busy dwelling on a
discourse on national self-reliance. This discourse was started
by the National Development Planning Board chief Kwik Kian Gie.
Then, it earned a response from the People's Consultative
Assembly chairman Amien Rais, Vice President Hamzah Haz, and some
other parties.

The core of Kwik's statement is a request to the government
that it end its contract with the International Monetary Fund
(IMF). In his judgment the presence of IMF brings more
disadvantages than advantages to Indonesia.

The criticism that Kwik has made should be regarded as an
effort to bolster this nation's self-reliance.

Relying on some technocrats, also known as the Berkeley mafia,
Soeharto counted on foreign aid to build this country. The
foreign aid was channeled through the IGGI (International
Government Group on Indonesia) and then through the CGI
(Consultative Group on Indonesia).

Following the storm of the economic crisis that swept through
Asian countries, Indonesia was the hardest hit and is yet to
fully recover from the crisis.

The willingness to become a self-reliant nation will also be
determined by how far the political elite in this country can
agree on the vision and mission of development. They should not
only vie with one another for power. The present government seems
lacking in this vision and mission, as evident from its policies
on the importation of sugar, rice and chicken legs.

-- Republika, Jakarta