The new President of Indonesia

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.joinet.net.au>]

The new President of Indonesia 

The new President of Indonesia is Abdurrahman Wahid.
During his recent visit to the ASEAN countries Mr Wahid 
won the hearts of the Singaporeans by greeting them in 
Mandarin. He said that his third daughter is learning Mandarin 
at the University of Indonesia. He also told the Singaporean 
audience that his ancestors were Muslim Chinese from Xinjiang
province China.


Mr Wahid has appointed an ethnic Chinese Kwik Kian Gie, as 
the Economic Minister to oversee the economic policy of Indonesia. 
The Indonesian new President asked Mr Lee Kuan Yew, a Hakka, to be 
a member of an international advisory team for Indonesia. Mr Wahid 
also approached the former prime minister of Singapore to act as
a middle man in dealings with China. Mr Wahid said:
"In future, Indonesia would like to strengthen economic ties 
with China as well as India."

It indirectly implied that Indonesia needs the Chinese capital,
technology and managerial skills to rebuild its ruined economy. The ethnic
Chinese community represents 3 per cent of Indonesia's 202 million
population and controls 80 per cent of the wealth. Most of the Indonesain
Chinese are Hakka. 

The high-profile Hakka-Chinese-Indonesain businessman Liem Sioe Liong
(Lin2 Shao4 Liang2 see the book "The Stubborn Hakka") is taking his money
back to Jakarta. Mr Liem has promised to bring back money held in
Singapore. His house was ransacked during the May 1998 riots.   

Yoon-Ngan.