What prospects for the future?

What prospects for the future?

Over the past 15 months, President B.J. Habibie's government has not only failed to carry out the most urgent points on its agenda, it also created new problems such as the Bank Bali scandal. This is creating grave doubts among investors planning to resume their activities in Indonesia.

With all due respect for the positive steps which President Habibie has taken, his failings in terms of leadership and managerial savvy are just to plain for anyone to see. Take for example the handling of the planned legislation on oil and natural gas. How can a conflict of views on this subject between the Minister of Mines and Energy, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, and the principal director of the state oil company Pertmina, Martiono Hadianto, possibly be allowed to break into the open? And not only that. The conflict is left to drag on for so long it is inconceivable that Habibie has not been able to overcome the problem.

The various cases that have occurred have naturally eroded the trust of the Indonesian public as well as that of the international community in the government's capabilities. As the world economy is growing more and more into an integrated whole, our dependence on others is also growing. Allowing the situation to continue to drift in uncertainty could cause our national economy to become isolated, which would mean we would have to make even greater sacrifices.

The establishment of a stable and credible government which knows what has to be done is an absolute necessity. Without being partial, we urge our legislators to give the most serious thought to the question of who our leader for the coming five years should be.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta