Thatcher's criticism of IMF conditions in Indonesia

Thatcher accuses the IMF of using Indonesia's economic crisis to impose conditions Suharto could not meet while remaining in power. Demands for higher food and fuel prices affected people whose living standards had already fallen after devaluation. She accepts that some changes could be desirable in themselves while judging their timing enormously disruptive. A quoted warning about traditional autocracies connects the ruler's loss of authority with the collapse of institutions dependent on him. Her conclusion allows political separation when communities demand it and workable alternatives exist, while opposing outside action that creates a breakdown of central authority.