We appreciate the readiness of President Megawati

We appreciate the readiness of President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to explain their respective economic programs during the dialog with domestic and foreign businessmen in Jakarta on Monday.

This daily, however, believes that the two presidential candidates have failed to give the business world assurances.

Moderator John A Prasetyo said the two presidential candidates' economic programs failed to address the real problems of "3Ls+1I" -- the labor, legal, local and infrastructure sectors.

Labor in Indonesia has turned into a handicap in business development as existing regulations prioritize worker welfare rather than productivity.

There has been uncertainty in the country's legal sector as law enforcers tend to sell the law for their own vested interests.

Local affairs, such as provincial autonomy, have merely complicated the bureaucracy as investors have been required to pay US$1,300 and wait for 151 days to obtain an investment permit.

Infrastructure is another problem for investors who want to do business in Indonesia. There has been no new infrastructure, including in energy and transportation, built since the onset of the economic crisis in 1997.

Both Megawati and Susilo do not seem to see 3Ls+1I as problems. They touched on them but did not really address them.

Those in business understand well that the problems cannot be solved overnight. They only wanted the two presidential candidates to give a clear answer as to where they intended to lead the country and how it would get there.

Economist Faisal Basri said that what we have been through is a critical economic state. We no longer need ordinary steps to revive our ailing economy, but drastic ones. We badly need substantial commitment to restore the economy.

-- Kompas, Jakarta

Sudan's dilemma

Washington and London are making a new rod for their backs. Sudan is their latest problem. They are ratcheting up pressure on the country, accusing its government of ignoring and even abetting alleged atrocities in the western province of Darfur. This is a bad idea.

It is unlikely that the mounting pressure will bear fruit any time soon. Tribal complexities lie at the heart of the disturbing problem. The reverse is true. Pressure will militate the Khartoum government against any formula imposed from outside to alleviate the reported plight of the Darfuris. National pride is at stake.

Meanwhile, with their international credibility dented, especially in this region, the United States and Britain are triggering more misgivings about their seeming concern over the situation in Darfur. ... It is imperative for them to stop calling the shots for Khartoum, which must demonstrate more resolve and transparency in grappling with the crisis dragging on in its backyard. -- The Egyptian Gazette, Cairo, Egypt

The use of tracking chips in Iraq

The answer to the many kidnappings (in Iraq) could be to make use of chip technology.

Exposed persons could, through a simple process, be equipped with a chip that makes it possible through satellite surveillance to track where a person is being held.

Having a tracking chip won't prevent terror actions or murders, which are aimed at creating an environment of total fear, but the technology could prevent terrorists from using abductions as a way to extort publicity and political influence they don't deserve. ...

In the joint effort to put terrorists on the defensive, it is necessary to remove their most efficient weapon, namely the chance to use a helpless hostage to garner televised publicity.

Implanting a tracking chip would make it impossible to hide a hostage and could eliminate hostage taking as a form of blackmail.

It's the worth the effort to at least try it.

-- Berlingske Tidende, Copenhagen, Denmark