'Class has nothing to do with Indonesian politics'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The issue of class, according to State Minister
\nof Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, has not played a
\nsignificant part in Indonesia's political development because the
\ncountry has no middle class.<\/p>\n
\"Everything here was done under the existing conditions. It
\nhas nothing to do with the middle class,\" said Sarwono, who,
\nbefore joining President Soeharto's cabinet in 1988, was known as
\na political analyst.<\/p>\n
\"There is no middle class in Indonesia, and therefore it is
\ndifficult to assign it a role in Indonesian politics,\" he said
\nduring a discussion with journalists on Saturday.<\/p>\n
He said the political system in Indonesia is very different
\nfrom those found in the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea,
\nwhere the middle classes dominate and help to build democracy.<\/p>\n
The Philippines' powerful and influential middle class allowed
\nthe nation to rebuild as soon as strongman Ferdinand Marcos was
\ntoppled in the 1980s, he said, adding, \"We don't have that kind
\nof tradition.\"<\/p>\n
What happened in the Philippines also happened in Central
\nEurope, though the middle class there was suppressed by the
\nSoviet Union for 40 years. \"They (Central Europe) already had a
\nmiddle class. When the Soviet Union broke apart they moved
\nquickly to rebuild the infrastructure.\"<\/p>\n
Sarwono, a former student activist, was one of the brains
\nbehind the development of Golkar, the dominant political group,
\nin the 1980s. At one time he served as its secretary-general. He
\nwas recruited by President Soeharto in 1988 as State Minister of
\nAdministrative Reform. In 1993 he was appointed State Minister of
\nEnvironment.<\/p>\n
Sarwono said political development in Indonesia cannot be
\nexplained in terms of class. The ideology being fostered in this
\ncountry, he said, is one that places emphasis on national unity.<\/p>\n
Asked if the government was bent on depoliticizing the masses,
\nSarwono said this path of development was appropriate for
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"The concept of a floating mass essentially means that people
\ndo not need to become members of political organizations unless
\non voluntary basis. Is that so bad? I don't think so.\"<\/p>\n
Under the current concept, the people only become politically
\nactive every five years during the general elections.<\/p>\n
Sarwono said the floating mass concept should be understood
\nin terms of the existing political context. \"People who question
\nthe concept do not understand this.\" (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/class-has-nothing-to-do-with-indonesian-politics-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}