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Indonesian President Predicts Improvement in 2001
Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has expressed his belief that the new year would bring Indonesia more blessings, particularly on the economic front.
"I look ahead to the future with guarded optimism that we will soon overcome our infrastructure problems. The economy has begun to revive and we will refine its rhythm in 2001," The Jakarta Post daily Tuesday quoted the president as saying.
"In my opinion, we will make big progress in the year 2001," Wahid said in a year-end speech which was reported by newspapers in Jakarta just on Tuesday, Jaunary 2.
Wahid said his government would improve the infrastructure, security, the bureaucracy and tax regulations, as well as boosting exports, which will remain the backbone of the economy as they have since the financial crisis struck in 1997.
He said the economic crisis had shifted the government's priority from seeking foreign investment to enhancing export volume and value.
The country's total exports reached US$50 billion in 2000, surpassing the projected US$38 billion.
Security fears have been blamed for sluggish foreign investment in the country, which saw continued violence in Aceh and the Malukus, as well as sporadic clashes in other territories. Bomb attacks in nine cities across the archipelago on Christmas Eve dealt the nation its latest blow.
But the president insisted more foreign investors would pour into the country and there were rays of hope seen.
The upward revision of economic growth for 2000 from between 3 and 4 percent to up to 5 percent has encouraged the government, the president noted.
To support the efforts to achieve the country's goals, Wahid pledged to promote information technology in remote areas.
Meanwhile, on disintegration threats, Wahid expressed optimism that security problems in Aceh, Irian Jaya and Malukus would be resolved.
The president said the process of settling these problems "is reaching final stage" through negotiations among Indonesians, without foreign mediation.
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