Breaking the old taboo<\/p>\n
One would think there was no other document on this planet
\nmore sacred than Indonesia's 1945 Constitution, which still plays
\na role as the very source of Indonesian laws. The historic legacy
\nof our founding fathers is also said to be the only road that
\nleads to a just and prosperous society.<\/p>\n
That is what this nation has been told for decades. We have
\nalso been led to believe that the country could face a calamity
\nif it betrays the spirit of the Constitution or tries to amend
\nit.<\/p>\n
However, the reality is a tragic irony. The precious concept
\n-- after experiencing an initial lull during the turbulent years
\nof revolution between 1945 and 1949 -- was later humiliated and
\nabused by both the successive Old Order and New Order regimes of
\npresidents Sukarno and Soeharto respectively for their own ends.<\/p>\n
In 1950, when Indonesia decided to have a taste of western
\ndemocracy, the 1945 Constitution was forced into retirement. It
\nwas replaced by a more elaborate provisional constitution, which
\nwas meant to last until a democratic general election, the first
\nthis country would have.<\/p>\n
A democratic poll was held in 1955 and produced a new
\nparliament and constituent Assembly. But the Assembly bumbled
\nalong for years with little success in drafting a new
\nconstitution. President Sukarno -- who had been made mere a
\nfigurehead in 1950 and had been impatiently waiting for a chance
\nto jump into the political scene -- used his constitutional right
\nto dissolve the Assembly and declare the reactivation of the 1945
\nConstitution.<\/p>\n
Everything would have been all right if his maneuver had been
\nsincere. But trouble ensued when he introduced his style of
\n\"guided democracy\", which was nothing but another term for
\ndictatorship.<\/p>\n
His rule, during which he flirted with the communists, finally
\npushed the nation toward the Crocodile Hole, the dry well into
\nwhich the bodies of leading Army generals were dumped during the
\ncommunist coup attempt in 1965.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto, who took over from the flamboyant founding
\nfather in 1966, declared that the root of all evils was Sukarno's
\nviolation of the 1945 Constitution. He promised to redress the
\nsituation and implement the Constitution sincerely.<\/p>\n
However, his three-decade iron-fisted rule was history
\nrepeating itself in a more horrendous way. Last year he stepped
\ndown in disgrace, leaving the nation on the brink of an economic
\nand political calamity. But at least his fall paved the way for
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Dr. Nurcholish Madjid, a noted scholar and
\nthoughtful political observer, reminded Indonesians in an
\ninterview with Kompas daily that the most pivotal task of this
\nnation today is to amend the 1945 Constitution. His statement is
\nin fact nothing new and the Constitution itself stipulates that
\namendments simply need the backing of two-thirds of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR), the highest constitutional body.<\/p>\n
Only in the past, the rulers -- especially Soeharto -- always
\nbranded the idea a dangerous subversive virus, while raising his
\nfinger to \"right wing extremists:\" Muslim politicians.<\/p>\n
Soeharto in 1985 had his House of Representatives rubber stamp
\na bill that made it possible to make constitutional amendments,
\nalthough such rulings are not written in the 1945 Constitution.
\nWith the obstructive law repealed in March, the door for
\nconstitutional changes has been opened wide.<\/p>\n
Although the nation is still making preparations for the June
\ngeneral election and the formation of a new MPR will not take
\nplace before September, Nurcholish's statement is relevant.<\/p>\n
We understand it as a warning to people of the nation to be
\ncareful in their choice in the general election. If they choose
\nthe pro-status quo political power, they can expect not only
\nfurther abuses of the 1945 Constitution, but also another
\ncatastrophe which would be more suicidal than before.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/breaking-the-old-taboo-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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