Businessman and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie has made a daring move, challenging the government over allegations of tax evasions by Bakrie companies to the tune of Rp 2.1 trillion (US$225 million). Regretfully, however, he has apparently mixed his personal affairs with politics.
Aburizal demonstratively summoned Cabinet ministers and provincial governors affiliated with the party to a meeting at the Golkar Party office at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Your comments:
Connecting Muslims that solely go against neoliberalism is a misguided argument. People can trace the negative impact of neoliberalism that appeared in the last presidential election campaigned by almost every political parties in Indonesia, even the Democrat Party.
The fact the Muslim party only associated Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Vice President Boediono with neoliberalism is also debatable.
The author seems to give the audience a reason for the negative intention of the six parties that faulted the Bank Century bailout decision.
Neoliberalism means to transfer part of the control of the economy from the public to the private sector. Should the private sector greedily abuse its economic power by not contributing positively to society?
I think the neoliberalists didn't side with Muslims or anyone else who wanted to use Indonesian wealth for the good of the Indonesian people.
Even the Bank Century inquiry committee gave an unsatisfactory performance, but their work has helped the public understand the embezzlement and deception in Bank Century.
Deania Aristarini
San Fransisco
Rift between VP, Hatta -- Feb. 9, p. 1
While ties between Vice President Boediono and Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa may seem fine, seeds of rift and rivalry may have emerged.
According to a high-ranking government official close to Boediono, contentious issues related to electricity and gas management have strained relations between the top economic authorities.
Your comments:
A power rift between a Vice President and a coordinating minister seems to both unlikely and unrealistic as both high-level government officials have there own separate authorities and terms of references.
If a difference of opinion exists on solving a technical business issue, logic dictates the problem be solved by competent ministerial staff, based on in-depth investigations and facts and figures and as a consequence the conclusions and recommendations reported to the responsible minister for his/her comments.
If these kind of issues constitute a possible personal controversy between a VP and a coordinating minister at this level of government, then all internal political and governmental internal relationships can be swept under the carpet and the President could start and chair a workshop of "good governance" to save his "team" from total collapse.
Jan R. Scheele
Bogor, West Java
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