Govt has no courage to take firm measures Gus Dur says

Jakarta, NU Online
Indonesian Former President KH Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) said the government had no such courage to take firm measures in dealing with international agencies and advanced countries.

Gus Dur made the remarks on the sidelines of a religious "Soko Tunggal" gathering in Rawamangun, Jakarta Monday (8/12) evening.

According to Gus Dur such international agencies as International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO), and World Bank are invisible hands of advanced countries to trouble the sovereignty of other countries.

"We are forced to depend on them. Such agencies as the World Bank, IMF and WTO are too cheap to settle price. As consequence, the countries having no courage to be sovereign and take a stand like Indonesia would always be oppressed," Gus Dur said.

In the meantime the leader of Ciganjur Islamic boarding school (pesantren) expressed his deep concern over the mentality of Indonesian leaders that have never had self-confidence though they are leaders of a big country.

"If the government has the courage to take pro-people policies, it would of course be considered as hero by its own people. Instead, they have regarded the government as the invisible hand of colonizers. It is the fact of the recent government," Gus Dur added. 

The ex-general chairman of the Indonesia'sbiggest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama said that since the early years of independence there had been no pro-people economic policies.  (min)