Yet another team to assist Habibie

Yet another team to assist Habibie

New teams normally bring certain hopes. So it is with the
newly formed National Reform Team toward a Civil Society (TNRM3).
The public hopes it will be able to function effectively and not
merely add to the profusion of teams already existing with lofty
sounding names and tasks but which in reality achieve very
little. We also hope the establishment of this new team will not
entail the squandering of public money for purposes that are not
clear, or worse, a sterilization of existing state institutions
-- a bad habit which the former New Order regime was fond of
practicing.

Such fears are not unfounded. To give a concrete example: Even
as demands for reform in all fields are at their height, the
current Development and Reform cabinet experienced a leakage of
more than Rp. 1.5 trillion in state funds -- an irony which the
government seems to regard as altogether commonplace.

To judge by the list team members, we have the impression that
there is a dire shortage in this country of (capable) human
resources. The same people can be seen sitting on different teams
with different tasks. There is no sign whatsoever that the
government has the courage to include the names of reformist
leaders in the team's lineup.

We are afraid that this team will only add to the burdens
which President Habibie has to bear. The more teams there are
surrounding the President's seat, the more difficulty Habibie
will have formulating his policies.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta