What's wrong with us?

What's wrong with us?

Right before the economic crisis, our per capita income was
about US$1,400 per annum, which put us well above most poverty-
stricken African countries, something that we could be proud of,
even though we were still well below Malaysia which was above
$2,000 per annum.

But now with the persistent dive of the rupiah, being a
layman, I would say looking at our per capita income with the
current rate, it may well be about $500. This puts us back to the
transitional period from the Old Order to the New Order in the
1970's.

The question is: If we are back to where we were before the
long-term Five-Year Development Plan started, does it mean we are
still progressing? Or is it just pseudo-progress we are
experiencing now, with supermalls, highways and skyscrapers?

BOB S. EFFENDI

Jakarta